Pekanbaru, (ANTARA) – The Riau Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BBKSDA) has taken a significant step in conservation efforts by fitting a GPS tracking collar on a dominant 40-year-old female Sumatran elephant in the Tesso Tenggara, Pelalawan District. This initiative is designed to monitor the animal’s movement and serve as an early warning system to minimize conflict between the large herd it leads and local human communities.The collar installation was a complex, multi-agency operation that required assistance from two trained elephants from the Minas Elephant Training Center. The BBKSDA Head, Supartono, explained that the immediate benefit is swift detection and response: “With this GPS collar, we can detect elephant movements more quickly, allowing early intervention when potential conflicts arise.”The data collected will be analyzed to strengthen long-term mitigation and conservation strategies for the estimated 30 elephants in the Tesso Tenggara range.The urgent need for such measures is underscored by the animal’s status: the Sumatran elephant remains critically endangered, with its population estimated at only around 1,100 individuals distributed across Sumatra. The species faces continuous threats from habitat loss due to land conversion and persistent ivory poaching. The government is currently intensifying conservation efforts and revalidating the population data using geothermal-based technology.Supartono also urged local communities to play their part by avoiding planting elephant-attracting crops along migratory routes and refraining from any acts of violence against the animals.
Riau monitors elephant movements with GPS tracking
