TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A decomposed carcass of a female elephant was found near a palm oil plantation in Teunom District in Aceh Jaya Regency, Aceh on Wednesday, November 19, 2014.
The village chief of Alu Meuraksa in Teunom District, Safrudin, said in Aceh Jaya's capital, Calang, that local villagers have frequently complained of a herd of marauding elephants, but has repeatedly assured that the pachyderm did not die in the hands of the local villagers.
"We don't kill elephants here despite the fact that they often pose a threat to us. Perhaps there are other parties who deliberately hunt on these herds, and this is causing concern among local residents," said Safrudin.
Locals found the carcass of the protected mammal while investigating a persistent scent of rotting meat that pervades the general area of the village. The carcass was found in an advanced state of decomposition - its' skin have begun to peel and dried blood was found near the head of the animal.
In the past year, there has been four reported case of fatal poaching of elephants. The majority of the carcasses found had been decapitated, which indicates that the elephants were poached for their ivory. That said, no suspects have been found and/or brought into police custody for further investigation.
The Head of Aceh Jaya's Forestry Agency, Saiful Bahri, confirmed that his team has received a report of the death of an elephant in a communal field, which is located approximately 47 kilometres from the town of Calang.
"The carcass is from a female elephant, so no ivory was found and/or taken. Members from Aceh's Natural Resources Conservation Agency have been deployed yesterday to investigate the cause of death," said Saiful.
Saiful said that the case was the first reported case in the area - unlike in other more remote regions in Aceh where poaching is relatively common. He also went on to say that his team members are only authorised to drive elephants away from populated areas, but has no authority to investigate and/or prosecute the perpetrators.
ANTARANEWS