Tame Elephant Indro Dies in Tesso Nilo National Park

A 45-year-old tame male elephant, Indro, was declared dead in the early hours of the morning at Tesso Nilo National Park (TNTN) in Pelalawan, Riau. Indro died after receiving treatment for a loss of appetite. The head of the Tesso Nilo National Park Office, Heru Sutmantoro, stated that Indro was reported dead at approximately 03.45 WIB. Indro’s death is a sad blow for the conservation world. “We are certainly deeply saddened by the death of Indro. We learned of his passing in the early hours. Officers tried to provide assistance, but it was too late,” said Heru. Indro was a tame elephant at the Elephant Flying Squad Camp in Lubuk Kembang Bunga, Pelalawan. He was declared dead after receiving medical treatment from a joint team from TNTN and the Riau BKSDA Office. “Indro had been receiving intensive care here for some time after experiencing a loss of appetite following a musth phase. This is the peak hormonal/aggressiveness period for male elephants,” Heru explained. Following Indro’s death, a medical team is currently taking samples of the elephant’s vital organs for laboratory testing. The results will be used to determine the clinical cause of death. The elephant’s carcass will be buried near the site once all procedures by the medical team are complete.