Riau Police Criminal Investigation Director Commissioner Ade Kuncoro said investigators had conducted a crime scene examination and questioned witnesses in efforts to catch the poachers.
“We carried out the crime scene investigation and interviewed witnesses. Five people have been questioned, and necropsy and forensic laboratory results have been reviewed. We hope to solve this case quickly and arrest the suspects,” Ade said on Friday in Pekanbaru, the capital of Riau Province.
He confirmed a Subdit IV team from the Riau Police’s Special Criminal Investigation Directorate joined Pelalawan Police to help solve the case.
Examinations show the protected elephant was shot in the forehead, with the bullet lodged inside the skull, which was still attached to the neck.
The front of the elephant’s head, including the forehead, eyes, trunk, and tusks, was missing. Investigators believe poachers used sharp weapons to remove the tusks. The trunk was found separated.
Riau Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BBKSDA) veterinarian Rini Deswita said the elephant measured roughly 286 centimeters in length and was estimated to be over 40 years old.
The animal belonged to the Tesso Tenggara elephant population.
“The elephant had been dead for more than 10 days before discovery. After examination and data collection, the carcass was buried on site,” Rini said.
The Indonesian government has listed Sumatran elephants among the critically endangered mammals in the country.
As per figures published on the official website of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the population of Sumatran elephants is estimated to be about 2,400–2,800 individuals.
The world's leading organization on wildlife conservation and endangered species has said that ivory can still be found in markets around Africa and Asia, as well as in the United States and Europe.
The WWF has noted that poaching for the illegal ivory trade remains a serious threat to the lives of wild elephants in several countries.
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Translator: Bayu AA, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: M Razi Rahman
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