Wild elephants encroach human settlement

Wild elephants encroach human settlement
Antara News September 6, 2006
Pekanbaru, Riau (ANTARA News) -

A herd of wild elephants has encroached villages in Kampar and Rokan Hulu districts, Riau Province, over the past four days.

"The elephants intruding Kampar and Rokan Hulu are not the same animals which were spotted in the city a few days ago and moved to the Minas elephant training center," Riau Nature Conservation Agency (KSDA) Ali Nafsir Siregar said here on Tuesday. Residents of Kuapan and Ranah villages, Kampar District panicked when wild elephants entered their villages. I

n Pekan Tebih village, Rokan Hulu District, wild elephants came out of a nearby forest and ate paddies belonging to the local inhabitants. "The elephants entered the villages because their habitat has been disturbed so they lack food. Moreover, they have the habit of going back to the same routes," Siregar said.

The routes used to be forest areas but have been transformed into plantations, farm fields and human settlements. "That`s why the animals are often spotted there. The areas used to be their routes," Siregar said. Head of the Rokan Hulu Forestry Service Asril Astama also confirmed that parts of the home ranges of wild elephants were encroached by local villagers. "An elephant has a home range up to 200 km, while their home range has been transformed into human settlements and plantations," Asril said.

Despite the intrusion of Sumatran elephants (Elephas maximus sumatranus), there were no reports of damage or casualties in the villages.