Rocky Gerung: Elephant Ivory Is a Portrait of the Forest, Do Not Disturb It

Political commentator Rocky Gerung has highlighted the case of Sumatra elephant ivory poaching, recently exposed by the Riau Regional Police (Polda Riau). He criticised human greed for taking elephant ivory for financial gain. ‘Elephant ivory is not a basic human need, therefore let the ivory remain on the elephant’s body,’ he said in a video posted by Bidhumas Polda Riau on Thursday, 5 March 2026. Gerung expressed condolences over the death of Sumatra’s elephants killed to remove their tusks. He also expressed praise that the ivory-poaching network was uncovered by the Riau Police. ‘I mourn because a number of elephants in Sumatra were killed merely for their tusks, but I am also glad that the Indonesian Police managed to dismantle the ivory-poaching network, especially to Irjen Herry Heryawan, the Riau Police Chief who managed to track, study and eventually arrest the elephant-poaching gang,’ he said. Specifically, Gerung expressed appreciation for Riau Police Chief Irjen Pol Herry Heryawan who teaches justice for the natural world and its ecosystem, including Sumatra’s elephants. ‘I’m glad, because Herry Heryawan has shown us that what the natural world provides to us is not something we have the right to take for any reason,’ he said. He also stressed the importance of respecting the balance of forest ecosystems. He argued that forests have the right to sustain themselves without being disturbed by the greed of city-dwellers. ‘In the forest there is life, in the city there is life, but the forest’s right to maintain its life should not be disturbed by the greed of urban people,’ he added. Concluding his message, Rocky Gerung offered ‘Salam akal sehat’ — a call to think rationally in preserving the environment and wildlife. As is known, the Riau Police arrested 15 suspects in the elephant ivory poaching case in Ukui District, Pelalawan. The case disclosure also exposed a network involved in poaching protected wildlife. (mea/dhn)