National Police Chief and Titiek Soeharto Visit Tesso Nilo National Park: Support Elephant Conservation and Tree Planting

National Police Chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo, together with Commission IV Chair of the Indonesian House of Representatives Siti Hediati Hariyadi (Titiek Soeharto) and Minister of Forestry Raja Juli Antoni, visited the Elephant Flying Squad Camp at Tesso Nilo National Park (TNTN) to observe efforts to conserve Sumatran elephants and mitigate wildlife conflict.

General Sigit, Titiek Soeharto, Minister Raja Juli Antoni, and their delegation arrived at TNTN in Pelalawan Regency, Riau, on Tuesday, 17 March 2026. Their arrival was welcomed with a unique display as one of the park’s trained elephants garlandled Titiek Soeharto with flowers.

Also present at the event were Deputy Minister of Forestry Rohmat Marzuki, Riau Regional Police Chief Inspector General Herry Heryawan, Commander of Military Region XIX/Tuanku Tambusai Major General Agus Hadi Waluyo, and Pelalawan Regent H. Zukri.

Accompanying the National Police Chief during the inspection were the Police Intelligence Chief Lieutenant General Yuda Gustawan, Criminal Investigation Director Lieutenant General Syahardiantono, and Mobile Brigade Commander Lieutenant General Ramdani Hidayat.

During the visit, the National Police Chief and delegation received a briefing from TNTN Head Heru Sutmantoro regarding the Elephant Flying Squad’s role in protecting the forest area and directing wild elephants to prevent them from entering residential areas.

General Sigit and Titiek Soeharto also interacted directly with elephant herds, feeding them with fruits including pineapples, watermelons, bananas, and palm sugar prepared by mahouts and elephant handlers.

General Sigit stated that it is important to ensure the conservation of our wildlife, particularly Sumatran elephants. Synergies between the National Police, the Ministry of Forestry, and the House of Representatives will continue to be strengthened to protect forest ecosystems and minimise conflict between humans and wildlife.

In addition to interacting with the elephants, General Sigit, Titiek Soeharto, Minister Raja Juli, and Riau Regional Police Chief Herry Heryawan also planted tree seedlings in the national park area. This action symbolised their collective commitment to environmental conservation and forest rehabilitation in the Riau region.