The birth of a Sumatran elephant calf within the protected area of Indonesia’s Gunung Leuser National Park is cause for double celebration, according to conservation advocates, an auspicious timing as the world celebrates International Day of Forests on March 21.
Weighing 69 km and with a body circumference of 90 cm, a female elephant calf was born at the Special Animal Training Center of GLNP on 1 February 2021.
Indonesia’s Director General of Conservation of Natural Resources and Ecosystems (MoEF) Ir. Wiratno named the baby elephant “Boni.”
“The baby and the mother Sari are both in good health. We are regularly monitoring their conditions, apart from overseeing the feeding and the mother’s vitamin injections”, Ir. Jefry Susyafrianto, M.M. head of the GLNP Office, said.
GLNP is a designated ASEAN Heritage Park (AHP) and part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Tropical Rainforest Heritage of Sumatra. Covering an area of about 830,000 hectares, GLNP straddles the border of the provinces of North Sumatra and Aceh.
The national park has a high conservation value as it serves as home to iconic wild animals, such as orangutans, tigers, rhinoceros, leopards and elephants.
Dwindling population
Under its care, the Special Animal Training Centre of GNLP has nine elephants in total, including Boni and Sari. Sari was among the wild elephants captured in the 1990s as part of the government’s efforts to support in situ elephant conservation.
Sumatran elephants have been placed on the list of critically endangered species of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List due to their rapidly dwindling population.
It is against Indonesian laws to keep, hunt, trade and smuggle these. According to the Law Number 5 of 1990, which concerns the Conservation of Living Natural Resources and Ecosystems, a sentence of five years in prison and a fine of IDR 100,000,000 are meted out on violators.
Before Boni, three elephant calves, namely Christ, Albertina and Eropa, were born in 2015.
“The birth of Boni is very meaningful to the park management and conservation advocates, including our local guides. These recent births demonstrate how the elephants’ living environment has significantly improved. We are likewise hopeful this will have a positive contribution to the park’s tourism,” Susyafrianto said.
Female elephants give birth every five years on average and continue to mate until about the age of 50. Each pregnancy lasts up to 23 months.
Proper veterinary care
With the assistance of civil society organization Veterinary Society for Sumatran Wildlife Conservation (VESSWIC) under the Small Grants Programme, a partnership between the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) and the German Development Bank (KfW), the GLNP Office is likewise ensuring that the baby elephant is properly cared for and nurtured.
“Special care must be provided to the young, especially because they are at risk of contracting the Elephant Endotheliotropic Herpes Virus (EEHV), which attacks and infects elephants under five years old,” Dr. Muhammad Wahyu, director of VESSWIC, said.
VESSWIC has been helping the park in the routine health monitoring of captive elephants and training of mahouts, or persons tending the elephants.
Last year, the organization conducted an analysis to check cortisols in the stools of the elephants in order to determine their stress levels, along with a series of diagnostic tests to detect diseases, such as EEHV and tuberculosis.
“We are happy to hear this news. The timing is auspicious as we celebrate this year’s International Day of Forests on March 21,” ACB Executive Director Theresa Mundita Lim said.
On the International Day of Forests under the theme “Forest restoration: a path to recovery and well-being,” the ACB is joining the call to raise awareness and recognize the importance of forests to humankind.
“Taking care of the Sumatran elephants’ health at the ASEAN Heritage Park is part of our holistic and integrated approach in protecting and conserving wildlife and their habitats. Caring for Boni highlights wildlife protection as an important aspect of protected area management,” Dr. Lim said.
She explained that the Sumatran elephants as seed dispersers positively contribute to healthy and balanced ecosystems. In forest ecotourism sites like GLNP, protecting wildlife likewise ensures the sustainability of livelihoods for communities, as well.
Image credits: Veterinary Society for Sumatran Wildlife Conservation