Villagers want elephants blocked

Villagers want elephants blocked

BANDAR LAMPUNG, Lampung: Some 200 residents from two districts
in Central Lampung staged a protest at the Lampung administration
office, demanding protection against wild elephants in the area,
Antara reported Monday.

Head of Lampung's forestry agency Edi Suryadi pledged to
control the elephants by building gutters and installing
electrified wires.

"We will deploy trained elephants to block the wild elephants
from destroying residents' property," Edi added.

The wild elephants from nearby Way Kambas National Park
frequently crushed plants and damaged homes, they said.

Residents of Purbolinggo and Rumbia districts said that since
1986 the elephants had damaged 1,500 hectares of land and caused
a range of losses to about 2,200 families. One peasant died while
guarding the land against elephants and many have been injured.
Environment experts have cited disturbances to their habitat as
the cause of the elephants' behavior. (edt)