Residents of Aceh Jaya Disturbed by Wild Elephant Re-entering Settlements

Wild Sumatran elephants have returned to entering residents’ settlements in Krueng Ayon Village, Sampoiniet District, Aceh Jaya Regency, over the past few days, leaving the local community increasingly anxious. “Yesterday, even the residents’ chicken bait was eaten by the elephant, and as for oil palm, it has often been eaten by elephants,” said the acting village head of Krueng Ayon, Hendri, in Aceh Jaya on Friday. He explained that the wild elephants have indeed been greatly disturbing the residents because they have started entering settlements and residential areas. He hopes for attention from the relevant parties, in this case the Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA), to drive the elephants back into the forest and prevent them from entering residents’ settlements again. Regarding this matter, the Head of BKSDA Aceh Jaya, Supriadi, stated that his agency has not yet received information about the presence of elephants in Krueng Ayon Village. Nevertheless, they will immediately follow up on the information; for the initial stage, firecrackers will be given to the residents. “If they still do not leave, we will deploy a team to the area, especially since the region is not far from the Clinical Research Unit (CRU),” he said. “To all residents, if there are any issues related to elephants, they can directly contact the BKSDA Aceh Call Centre at +62 853-6283-6024,” Supriadi added.