Jakarta - A herd of wild elephants went on a rampage in Riau
province on the Indonesian island of Sumatra Wednesday, trampling an
elderly man to death and destroying property, state-run media
reported.
A herd of estimated 40 pachyderms entered Balai Makam village in
Bengkalis district at dawn, forcing the residents to flee in panic.
The official Antara news agency quoted a local community leader as
saying that one wild elephant trampled an 83-year-old man, identified
as Jalinus, to death after the man fell off a sling on which his son
was carrying him as they tried to flee.
'Watched by his son who could do nothing, Jalinus was captured by
an angry elephant, thrown to the ground and wildly trampled into
pieces,' Retri, who like many Indonesians goes by only one name,
said.
'After destroying some houses, the wild animals were chasing the
villagers,' Retri said. During the past weeks the animals frequently
entered the area, located along a traditional wild elephant trail.
Conservationists said widespread destruction of elephant habitat
through illegal logging and uncontrolled conversion of forests into
oil palm and pulp plantations has created intense conflict between
humans and elephants, which are forced to feed on the crops that
replaced their natural foods.
Human-animal conflicts are a rising problem as human settlements
encroach on natural habitats in Indonesia, an archipelago nation with
some of the world's largest remaining tropical forests.
Habitat destruction, combined with illegal poaching have slashed
the population Sumatra's wild elephants.
According to environmentalists, about 4,000 wild elephants roam
Sumatra, the only island in Indonesia where they can still be found.
They are listed as an endangered species and protected by law.
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