Ministry of Environment and Forestry: Viral video of an elephant calf stuck in mud did not occur in Indonesia

The results of identifications show that the elephant species seen in the video is the Borneo elephant (Elephas maximus borneensis), a subspecies of the Asian elephant endemic to Kalimantan and included in protected wildlife. Jakarta — The Ministry of Environment and Forestry (Kemenhut) says the viral social media content that recently showed an elephant calf trapped in a plantation did not occur in Indonesia, but is suspected to be located in Malaysia. Confirmed from Jakarta, on Friday, Director General of Law Enforcement (Gakkum) Kemenhut Dwi Januanto Nugroho appreciated the public’s active role in reporting via social media related to the video showing an elephant calf trapped in a plantation. ‘The results of identifications show that the elephant species seen in the video is the Borneo elephant (Elephas maximus borneensis), a subspecies of the Asian elephant endemic to Kalimantan and including protected wildlife,’ he said. ‘Based on in-depth analysis of account affiliations and various digital indicators, there is strong suspicion that the content was produced at a palm oil plantation in the Tawau area, Sabah, Malaysia, so it did not originate from Indonesian territory,’ he added. He also urged the public to actively report suspected crimes in the forestry sector, including those related to protected wildlife, which can be done through the Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA) and the Enforcement Unit (Balai Gakkum) in their respective areas or through online reporting. Previously viral on several social media platforms was a video showing a mother elephant and her calf trapped in mud in a palm oil plantation. In the comments section of the video on several social media platforms, netizens reported the incident to BKSDA and Kemenhut.