Riau Police Launch 'Sapu Jerat' Operation After Young Elephant Dies Trapped in Tesso Nilo

A young Sumatran elephant was found dead, its foot caught in a snare, in the Tesso Nilo National Park, Pelalawan Regency. To prevent similar incidents, the Riau Police, together with the Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA), will conduct a sweep to remove snares from the area.

“Next, we will carry out the ‘Sapu Jerat’ operation,” said Riau Police Chief Inspector General Pol Herry Heryawan at the location, Thursday (26/2/2026).

The Police Chief explained that the installation of snares around forest areas is often carried out by members of the community or plantation owners under the pretext of warding off pests. However, the impact is very damaging to the ecosystem and endangered animals, especially Sumatran elephants.

“Perhaps the snares that were deliberately installed were for animals that disturb plants or gardens, such as wild boars and others, and the elephants stepped on them,” said Inspector General Herry.

He added that even though the initial intention of installing snares was not to target elephants, the act still constitutes a violation of the law if it occurs in a protected area and causes the death of protected animals.

In addition to physical operations in the field, the Riau Police Chief also asked the ranks of Bhabinkamtibmas in the Pelalawan area to increase education for residents who have gardens on the edge of the forest. The community is asked to find alternative solutions other than snares to protect their plants.

“We urge the public to be more wise. The installation of rope or wire snares is very dangerous for the survival of Sumatran elephants, whose population is increasingly threatened,” he said.

The Riau Police Chief went directly to the scene to conduct an observation. He deployed a team from the Forensic Laboratory, the Directorate of Special Criminal Investigation and the Directorate of General Criminal Investigation of the Riau Police to conduct an in-depth investigation into the elephant’s death.

Rope Snare on Elephant’s Foot

The elephant, which was around 5 years old, died with its foot caught in a rope. The male calf was found in a state of decay.

“From the initial results, the elephant’s foot had traces of a snare and the rope was still intact,” said Herry Heryawan.

The Riau Police are currently awaiting the results of a necropsy to determine the cause of death of the young elephant. This includes investigating the rope that ensnared the young elephant.

“We will create several hypotheses about the possible causes of the elephant’s death, including whether the elephant died because it was caught in a snare, then suffered an infection and died at the scene,” he added.

The young elephant was found in the Tesso Nilo National Park, 200 meters from the boundary of the area. The death of the elephant was discovered by officers from the Tesso Nilo National Park who were conducting patrols in the area at around 12:00 WIB this afternoon.

(mea/dhn)