"We think the elephant died a day ago."Pekanbaru (ANTARANews) - A Sumatran male elephant was found dead at Tesso Nilo National Conservation Park in Riau province on Thursday, the park chief said.
"We think the elephant died a day ago," Head of Tesso Nilo National Conservation Park Kuppin Simbolon said here on Thursday.
The body of the elephant was found by the park`s officials and members of the Riau`s WWF on Thursday morning, he added.
Kuppin noted the tusks of the elephant were still intact and the cause of its death was not yet known.
"A team of doctors from Riau Nature Conservation Service is now heading to the location to investigate the cause of the elephant`s death," he stated.
Local sources said the elephant died at Sei Tapak, Lubuk Kembang Bunga village, Pelalawan district, Riau. The area has oil palm plantations belonging to local residents.
Including the recent finding, the number of elephants found dead in Riau in 2012 has reached four. Earlier, the three elephants that were found dead reportedly belonged to a wild elephant group of Tesso Nilo park.
(Uu.A014/INE/KR-BSR/S012)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
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