Outrage over death of tame Sumatran elephant
A critically endangered Sumatran elephant which worked on wildlife conservation projects in Sumatra, Indonesia, has been found killed. Yongki, said by locals to have had a "friendly nature", worked with keepers to stop wild elephants destroying villages on the western island.
The Sumatran elephant (Elephas maximus sumatranus) is one of three recognized subspecies of the Asian elephant, and native to the Indonesia island of Sumatra
The 35-year-old elephant's body was found on Friday close to a camp in the national park where he lived. The official cause of death is not known but his keepers said they suspected poisoning.
Other keepers in the area have been very shaken by Yongki’s untimely death. Said a head mahout – a person who works with and rides an elephant,
"He was a good elephant. We are mourning the loss of an elephant who has been helping us in handling conflicts and helping forest rangers patrol the forest."
Mahout with a young elephant at Elephant Nature Park, Thailand
There are fewer than 3,000 Sumatran elephants left in the wild, and numbers have declined by 80% in less than 25 years, according to the World Wildlife Fund. The environment organisation attributed the fall to habitat loss and conflict with humans, including an increase in ivory poaching.
Batang Gadis National Park, one of several national reserves in Sumatra, Indonesia
Yongki’s death has sparked an outpouring of grief and anger on social media. Thousands of people have used Twitter and Facebook to express their anger over Yongki's death. The backlash mirrored the global outcry over the killing a well-known lion named Cecil, shot by a US man in Zimbabwe earlier this year.
A working elephant used as transport
Users on social media also called for the Indonesian authorities to take action against those responsible for Yongki's death.
(All images - credit: Wikimedia Commons under Creative Commons licence)
