Environmentalist Opposes Elephant Capture In Sumatra

Environmentalists are opposing Elephant Capture and translocation in Riau Province of Sumatra. The Government has initiated this move in an effort to put an end to elephant – man conflict. Sumatran elephants are highly endangered. Many of the endangered Sumatran elephants die during and immediately after the capture process. Environmentalists accuse that the Government is not dealing with the underlying problem, which is the uncontrolled conversion of forests that are home to some of Sumatra’s last wildlife populations. Riau has lost 57 per cent of its forests over the past 23 years. Half of the elephant population has been lost in the last seven years, with the remaining population numbering only about 350.