InfoSAWIT, ACEH TAMIANG – A male Sumatran elephant was found dead in an oil palm plantation operated by PT MPLI in Kaloy Village, Tamiang Hulu District, Aceh Tamiang Regency, Aceh. The Aceh Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA) suspects the elephant may have died from poisoning, although laboratory testing is still required to confirm the cause.
The carcass was discovered by an employee of PT MPLI at around noon on Sunday, August 9, 2026. The finding was subsequently reported to the police and forwarded to the Aceh BKSDA through the agency’s call center.
A joint team involving Aceh BKSDA officers, Aceh Tamiang Police, Tamiang Hulu Police, PT MPLI representatives and partners from the Leuser Conservation Forum (FKL) then traveled to the location.
The team arrived at around 7 p.m. to conduct an initial identification and secure the site. The examination confirmed that the animal was a wild male Sumatran elephant.
Head of Aceh BKSDA Ujang Wisnu Barata said both tusks were intact and the team found no visible injuries on the elephant’s body.
“Based on the initial identification, the carcass was a wild male elephant with both tusks intact and no injuries found on its body,” Ujang Wisnu said in an official statement received by InfoSAWIT on Wednesday, August 12, 2026.
Necropsy Conducted to Determine Cause of Death
Further examination was carried out on Monday, August 10, including a necropsy to determine the cause of death. Authorities also conducted a crime scene investigation and subsequently buried the carcass near the discovery site.
Initial findings led the team to suspect poisoning. The elephant was estimated to have died approximately three days before its carcass was discovered.
However, BKSDA emphasized that the suspected poisoning has not yet been scientifically confirmed. Medical personnel collected organ samples from the carcass for laboratory analysis to establish the actual cause of death.
The crime scene investigation did not identify any suspicious tools or objects around the location. The findings will form part of the broader investigation into the circumstances surrounding the elephant’s death.
Following the completion of the necropsy and site examination, the elephant carcass was buried within the PT MPLI plantation area.
Calls for Stronger Wildlife Protection
The incident has renewed attention to the importance of protecting Sumatran elephants, particularly in areas that overlap with wildlife habitats and elephant movement corridors.
Aceh BKSDA urged communities, plantation companies and other stakeholders to work together to protect wildlife and strengthen environmental conservation efforts.
Laboratory testing of the collected samples is expected to provide greater clarity regarding the elephant’s death. The findings could also serve as an important reference for improving wildlife protection measures in areas where plantations and elephant habitats intersect.
For Aceh, the protection of Sumatran elephants remains closely linked to how stakeholders manage landscapes shared by plantations, communities and wildlife. (T2)
