Officials 'complaint' in ivory trade: Activists

Oyos Saroso H.N., Bandarlampung

The trade in elephant tusks has been thriving, as can be seen from unchecked poaching and trade over the past two years in the South Bukit Barisan (TNBBS) and Way Kambas (TNWK) national parks due to park authorities turning a blind eye to the illegal practice, say environmental activists.

The TNBBS, spanning 360,000 hectares from Tanggamus and West Lampung regencies to Bengkulu province, is said to be a haven for elephant poachers, as is the TNWK, comprising 180,000 hectares in East Lampung province.

The two are home to an abundant variety of rare flora and fauna, and the lax protection of species and monitoring of the parks by authorities have made the parks a haven for poachers, say activists of environmental non-governmental organizations (NGOs). They have also cautioned that dishonest park officials have even tolerated poachers' activities.

Surveys by the Wildlife Crime Unit (WCU), founded by environmental NGOs and journalists' organizations, show that in addition to poachers who live around the parks, a syndicate involved in elephant tusk trade is present at the Elephant Training Center in Way Kambas.

Strangely, most local residents are aware of the illegal practice, but have done nothing about it.

"If you happened to visit the elephant center in Way Kambas, an employee would most likely offer you an ivory pipe, even an entire, intact tusk," said an activist. "This corresponds with the number of ivory craftsmen who have admitted that they get their supply from poachers and insiders (at Way Kambas)."

A manager of Way Kambas National Park, Mega Haryanto, disagreed the park was involved, even to the point of claiming that poaching no longer occurred there.

His claim contradicts the finding of a number of park wells full of elephant carcasses only a couple of years ago. The find seemed to indicate that the park area was a killing field for poachers, allegedly involving park employees.

When asked as to the significance of the find, Mega said: "The wells were previously owned by residents. There were many houses here before. The wells have been abandoned since we relocated the residents."

The executive director of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) in Lampung, Mukri Friatna, said it was to be expected that underpaid park employees were involved in the illegal ivory trade. "Their monthly salaries range from Rp 350,000 (US$36.80) to Rp 450,000 and a few months ago, their salaries were not paid on time," he said.

That the poaching and ivory trade is thriving is evident from Lampung WCU data recording the extensive use of ivory pipes by locals, even state officials and law enforcers. At the Lampung legislature alone, at least two councillors smoke large ivory pipes.

Apparently, an ivory pipe is a symbol of prestige and according to smokers, boosts self-esteem.

Siswoyo, 73, a former syndicate member who hails from Kemiling subdistrict, Bandarlampung, was arrested in possession of 112 ivory pipes, a set of pipe-making tools and a stuffed anteater and turtle. He confessed he had been in the business since the 1950s, and could not recall the number of tusks he had used nor the number of elephants killed to provide the raw materials for his handicraft business.

It is difficult to imagine the number of elephants that have been killed to support the demands of Lampung ivory craftsmen and their clients. In addition, considering that elephants have only a pair of tusks each, the increase in elephant poaching is, sadly, not surprising.

The rapidly dwindling elephant population is even more disconcerting, as their numbers are falling from day to day. According to Way Kambas records, only between 250 to 300 elephants are left in the 180,000-hectare park, of which 72 live at the training center.

Way Kambas rangers found four elephant carcasses in August 2003 within close proximity to each other in the Way Kanan area of the park. They all belonged to bulls, or male elephants, and their tusks had been completely extracted.

A month later, Biha Police in West Lampung and South Bukit Barisan rangers arrested First Sgt. JP (his full name was not released) for poaching in Talang Bambang forest along the south coast of West Lampung. He confessed to shooting an elephant and taking its tusks.

In mid-January this year, four elephants were found killed in the TNBBS near its Way Canguk research station. Their tusks were missing. Fortunately, park authorities and Lampung Rhino Protection Unit personnel moved quickly and arrested five poachers in February.

Mega said on Thursday that Way Kambas rangers had just found the eight more elephant remains in the Kali Biru and Kali Jero areas of the park.

As of Thursday, rangers were evacuating the remains of the elephants, aged between 20 to 40 years, all missing their tusks.

They were likely shot by live bullets -- not tranquilizer darts, which is the usual method -- as they had gunshot wounds in their legs and heads. The caliber of the weapons used is not known.

"The area the national park covers is very wide, so we can't oversee every corner of it," said a park authority.

According to the Convention on Illegal Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), the Asian elephant population is more at risk of extinction than the African, particularly those in Southeast Asia.

Indonesia has been a signatory to CITES since 1978.