KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 18 ―A Sumatran baby elephant died just days after Indonesian conservation officials removed half of its trunk owing to critical injuries from a suspected snare trap in Aceh.
According to Coconuts, the female calf was rescued on Sunday in Alue Meuraksa hamlet by the province's Natural Resources Conservation Centre (BKSDA).
Its head Agus Ariyanto said the elephant's trunk suffered serious wounds from a poachers' trap, forcing vets to amputate half of her trunk since the infections were considered untreatable.
He said that the animal showed gradual improvement following her amputation and treatment on Monday before succumbing to her infections on Tuesday.
“When she was rescued, the trunk was rotting, almost severed, so we took her to the center for medical intervention.
“In these two days her condition was improving, but the infection spread because she had been trapped for a long time.”
He also said that an autopsy is being conducted to identify the calf's causes of death.
In July, BKSDA discovered a beheaded adult Sumatran elephant in Aceh, with officials suspecting that the rare creature was slaughtered for its tusks following the signs of poison in its digestive system.
According to Indonesian government data, approximately 700 Sumatran elephants exist in the wild on the island, declining by 50 per cent in the last seven years.
The endangered Asian elephant subspecies is protected under Indonesian conservation legislation but continues to suffer major threats such as illegal logging, human-wildlife conflict, and illegal hunting, in which poachers kill the animal mainly for its tusks.
