On elephant deaths

On elephant deaths

We would like to clarify statements made in The Jakarta Post
on April 11 concerning elephant deaths in Bukit Barisan Selatan
National Park. It was stated, "Three hundred elephants have been
killed since 1993 in the South Bukit Barisan National Park in
Lampung (Sumatra), and three tons of their tusks have been sold."
Also it made mention of "uncontrolled poaching in the province."

The Wildlife Conservation Society, headquartered in the Bronx
Zoo, New York, has been conducting research on elephants in
Lampung province since 1999. We documented the deaths of 22
elephants between Jan. 1, 2000, and Nov. 1, 2002, in the Bukit
Barisan Selatan National Park (BBSNP), the majority of which were
thought to have been killed by poachers.

Although we believe this figure represents a minimum, there is
no scientific basis for the estimate of 300 elephant deaths in
the park since 1993. Similarly, there is no credible basis for
the statement that hundreds of tigers and rhinos have been
killed. The important issue, however, is that illegal killing of
elephants and other wildlife does occur in Sumatra's parks and
protected areas -- the last stronghold for these magnificent
animals. Lack of adequate law enforcement in these areas means
Indonesia's natural heritage will continue to suffer at the hands
of poachers.

Despite the illegal killing of elephants in BBSNP and
elsewhere in Lampung province, surveys by the Wildlife
Conservation Society have shown that BBSNP and Way Kambas
National Park support some of the largest populations of Asian
elephants outside India, with about 500 in BBSNP and about 180 in
Way Kambas. These numbers clearly show that Lampung province
contains two Asian elephant populations that are of regional, and
for BBSNP at least, international importance.

While the plight of the African elephant is well known, many
people are unaware that the Asian elephant is in greater peril:
An estimated 35,000 to 50,000 Asian elephants remain, compared
with about 500,000 African elephants.

The Wildlife Conservation Society is working with governments
across the range of the Asian elephant to ensure a future for
these charismatic animals. A key part of this effort is our work
with the Monitoring the Illegal Killing of Elephants (MIKE)
Program of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered
Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). In Sumatra, the Wildlife
Conservation Society is working closely with the Ministry of
Forestry to conserve elephant populations in Lampung province,
and to reduce human-elephant conflict.

HARIYO T. WIBISONO, Deputy Director, Wildlife Conservation Society,

Indonesia Program, Bogor, West Java