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