Environmental Activists Call for end to Killing of Elephants

Banda Aceh (Antara) - A number of environmental activists from the Indonesian Movement of Elephants' Best Friends have called to end the killing of Sumatran elephants in Aceh. Killing elephants to harvest their ivory tusks remains rampant in Aceh, Nujannah Husien said during a rally here on Friday. "Since early September this year, three elephants were killed and their ivory tusks removed in Aceh Jaya and East Aceh District. And over the last three years, 30 elephants were killed in Aceh," she said. The activities urged Indonesian authorities to rigorously enforce laws to prevent the killing of Sumatran elephants. She believes the killers were hunters from outside Aceh. The murders could not be tolerated because they threaten Aceh's environment, she added. She noted that Acehnese people love elephants and in the Aceh kingdom¿s history, elephants were part of the kingdom's defense force. "Men and elephants have been best friends for a long time," she stated. As for all Asian elephants, the Sumatran elephant is threatened by poaching and loss of its habitat. According to IUCN, 85 percent of the animal's remaining habitat is unprotected and likely to be converted for agriculture or other purposes. (*)