Elephant exploitation (2)

Elephant exploitation (2)

The big family of WWF-Indonesia would like to wish you a happy
birthday and prosperous future on the occasion of your 17th
birthday.

As a birthday gift, we are sending you this letter of concern
regarding events celebrating your birthday.

Like other conservation organizations, we are deeply concerned
with your tug-of-war event at Senayan Main Stadium on April 23,
2000.

With only about 3,000 to 4,500 wild elephants in Sumatra, your
elephant entertainment conveyed an inaccurate perception of
elephant conservation. Unfortunately, the challenge of dealing
with habitat fragmentation of endangered species, such as the
Sumatran elephants, is overshadowed by the games and attractions
performed by those animals.

WWF Indonesia believes that creating a natural living space
for the Sumatran elephants is important and seriously needed. By
allowing the elephants to live in their natural habitats, we can
reduce the need to house them at elephant centers and/or Taman
Safari where they have to perform logging and entertainment
services.

More than a dozen reputable international and Indonesian
conservation organizations believe that conservation of
endangered species is an in situ (habitat) conservation effort.

Since your celebration took place and images of the tug-of-war
between elephant and human -- including a picture of The Jakarta
Post General Manager riding on an elephant in Senayan Main
Stadium -- have been printed and widely disseminated, we suggest
that the Post publish a special supplement to highlight various
threats and in situ conservation activities of Sumatran
elephants.

AGUS PURNOMO

Executive Director

WWF-Indonesia

Jakarta