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Elephant Squad Keeps the Peace

Posted Dec 6, 07 2:46 PM CST in World 

(Newser) – Conflicts between elephant and man are common in Indonesia, fueled by the establishment of plantations ever-deeper into the Sumatran jungle. Since 2002, 42 people and 100 elephants have died in clashes, the Wall Street Journal reports. Enter the “Flying Squad,” four trained elephants and their keepers who patrol the jungle borders, forcing dangerous wild herds away from human areas.

The squad, brainchild of the World Wildlife Fund, has managed to eliminate human or elephant casualties around Tesso Nilo National Park, and nearby plantations are setting up their own elephant squads. "Before, local people were saying they wanted to kill the elephants," one WWF officer said. "They are not angry anymore, as the Flying Squad is helping to protect their plantations."

Source Wall Street Journal

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An Indonesian girl plays at an abandoned logging site in Kuala Cenaku village in Riau province, on Sumatra island, Indonesia, Saturday, Nov. 3, 2007. Excessive logging has made contact between elephants...   (Associated Press)
When the locals expressed a desire to start terminating the elephants to prevent future rampages, the patrol was put in place as a humane alternative.   (Shutterstock.com)
The expansion of industry in the area has driven more elephants into populated areas, resulting in the deaths of 100 elephants and 42 people since 2002.   (Shutterstock.com)
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Indonesia  • elephants  • World Wildlife Fund  • elephant habitat


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