Sumatran Elephants Last Hope

Human-elephant relationship never harmonious since prehistoric times, until today.

The elephants seemed have no right to live on this cruel world because of human need for lands and men ruthless exploitation to those big animals.

It takes many wise unselfish men, community, policy, fund, and will, to save elephants from extinction. For this purpose Way Kambas National Park was established.

The Elephant Conservation Centre (PKG) of Way Kambas National Park (TNWK) is in East Lampung regency, Lampung Province, Sumatra Island, Indonesia.

TNWK was established in 1985, the park is the first Elephant Training Center (PLG) in Indonesia. Now its status has changed to Elephant Conservation Center (PKG)

There are about 60 Sumatran Elephants (Elephas maximus sumatranus) lived at the conservation center areas. This areas expected to be the center for domestication, training, breeding, and conservation of Sumatran elephants that continue to shrink in numbers.

International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), said Sumatran elephants are endangered species because its population is reduced to 2,400-2,800 elephants from about 5,000 elephants in 1985.

Various of causes that lead to those heavy animals extinction, including elephants conflict with human due to men massive land expansion, illegal hunting activities, and disesases.

Cases of elephant poaching for it high value ivory is increasing in some Sumatra Island areas.

Meanwhile, elephant-human conflict are continued to occur. One of Margahayu Villager, Satari, admitted he and his family is unable to do much when wild elephants ruffled their plantation.

Satari recognized that he and along with hundreds other villagers from Braja Asri Village, Braja Yekti Village, Proyek village, and Plang Ijo Village, only able to block elephants attack by guarding around TNWK areas.

He said villagers no longer calculating losses due elephant-human conflict. The elephants often looting their crops before the harvest time come.

Some farmers even choose to trade around conservation park areas rather than working on their farm.

Head of TNWK, Awen Pranata, explain that human-elephant conflict never caused human life casualties. However, residents had suffered great losses because of their plantations destroyed.

Conflict with humans usually occur before harvest time, because elephants have sharp smell, the big animal come to citizens farm and agriculture areas.

He hope that 200 new men at TNWK will able to dispel wild elephants from residents neighborhood.

There are about 36 villages that near with the national park. However, elephant is often targeting 23 villages because those vilagges are adjacent with conservation forests.

He said, in the future, TNWK will minimize the elephant attacks on people and agricultural crops, with involving the local community.

In addition, TNWK will also restored some forrest area for elephants and provide assistance support for local communities to improve their economic livelihood.

Elephant conflicts with residents in the surrounding buffer zones have been very worrying.

According to the Secretary of Way Kambas Forum Rembuk Desa Penyangga (FRDP), Suyuti, during 2010 occurred about 500 cases of elephant-human conflict in that region. In January-September 2011 about 785 cases occurred.