Chronology of the Death of Captain Indro, the Elephant Guardian of the Tesso Nilo Conflict

The death of a Sumatran elephant in Tesso Nilo National Park (TNTN), Ukui District, Pelalawan Regency, Riau, has once again shaken the conservation world. The elephant, named Indro, was declared dead on Monday, 29 June 2026, at approximately 03.45 WIB. The male elephant died at the age of 45. The elephant, nicknamed ‘Captain Indro’, died after medical treatment at the Camp Elephant Flying Squad of the Tesso Nilo National Park Office (BTNTN), Lubuk Kembang Bunga Village, Ukui District, Pelalawan Regency. ‘Elephant Indro was declared dead after receiving intensive medical treatment by a joint team from the Riau BKSDA and the TN Tesso Nilo Office due to health complications triggered by a loss of appetite following the musth phase (a period of peak hormonal activity and high aggressiveness in male elephants),’ stated the Tesso Nilo National Park Office on Tuesday (30/6/2026). Indro was long known as an elephant that guarded against human-animal conflict in Tesso Nilo. The following is the chronology of Indro’s death as conveyed by the Tesso Nilo National Park Office: On 25 April-6 May 2026, Indro began to be monitored entering the early musth phase on 25 April 2026. During this phase, his behaviour changed to become more aggressive from 1 May 2026, marked by the discharge of fluid/semen from his genitals. On 6 May 2026, secretion fluid from the musth hole in the temple area of his head began to appear and looked wet. On 3-5 June 2026, at the security tethering location, Indro could no longer be approached, did not respond to commands from the mahout, and began to exhibit behaviour that endangered the safety of officers. To maintain his physical condition, the flying squad team supplied feed in the form of banana stems, coconut fronds, and elephant grass, and ensured the availability of drinking water periodically every morning and evening from a safe distance. On 5 June 2026, the team also began bathing Indro using a water pump machine to maintain cleanliness and stabilise his body temperature. On 24 June 2026, given the prolonged musth phase, the BTNTN medical team coordinated with the Riau BBKSDA to perform sedation in order to attach additional chains as a security measure. Post-procedure, the medical team administered an antidote until Indro regained full consciousness in a stable, upright standing position. On 25-26 June 2026, starting from the afternoon after the sedation, Indro was observed to experience a drastic decrease in appetite and drinking. The mahout from the BTNTN medical team immediately conducted intensive 24-hour monitoring and coordinated closely with expert veterinarians for further treatment. On 27-28 June 2026, the medical team injected 100 ml of Biodin (an energy supplement), manually evacuated faeces, checked his body temperature, and administered 5 bottles of supportive intravenous fluids in the afternoon and 5 bottles at night, given there was no significant development. On 28 June, Indro briefly offered positive hope after starting to drink water and trying to touch his feed. To accelerate physical recovery due to the loss of appetite, the medical team administered 60 bottles of intravenous fluids. In the afternoon, Indro was bathed, willing to drink, and his body temperature was normal; even just before his death, he was still moving actively, showing interest in food. On 29 June 2026, a sudden change in condition occurred in the early hours at 03.30 WIB. Indro was found in a lying position. The veterinarian and the mahout team immediately carried out an emergency examination of his respiratory function and performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for several minutes. However, Indro did not respond and was officially declared dead at 03.45 WIB.