Residents Startled as Elephants Enter Village in Riau
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3 December 2019 15:23 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Riau residents were surprised by the appearance of a Sumatran elephant mother and her cub on the roadside of Mandau District, Bengkalis Regency, Tuesday, December 2. Local residents were fast to capture the rare moment with their cellphones.
"The two elephants just walked leisurely on the side of the road. They look like mother and cub," said Agung (50).
Another villager, Hermanto Pratap, uploaded a video of the elephants to his Facebook account. He said the video was taken not far from Mandau Police Headquarters.
Suharyono, head of the Riau Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BBKSDA), confirmed the report. He said that the wild elephant mother had been identified as Seruni.
He said that it is normal that the large mammal would wander off to nearby villages located near their natural habitat. The two elephants, he said, aren't disturbing the locals.
"The area is now a place for Seruni to find food," he said.
He also said that Seruni was a family member of Dita, an elephant that was recently found dead with trap wounds on its legs.
Antara
