Sumatra elephants are standing on the brink of extinction

World Wildlife Fund (WWF) on January 24 the Sumatra elephant announcement is on the brink of greater extinction and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has raised alarms on elephant status. This word 'at risk' is up to 'serious risk'.

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IUCN said only about 2,400 to 2,800 Sumatra elephants still live in the wild. This number dropped by 50% compared to the statistics in 1985.

This significant decline, combined with the loss of 70% of the natural habitat in the forest, led the IUCN to put Sumatra elephants on the Red List of Critically Endangered Species.

The World Wildlife Fund affirmed that the speed of deforestation in Sumatra was the main reason for Sumatra's elephants to face the danger of extinction.

Two-thirds of Sumatra's forests have been cleared in the last 25 years to pave the way for high-profit palm plantations.

WWF's elephant and tiger coordinator, Sunarto, said that the most suitable environment for elephants is also the land sought by many to make palm oil.

In 2011, the Indonesian government imposed a two-year ban on the exploitation of new forest land, as part of a US $ 1 billion agreement with Norway to protect forests and reduce emissions. glass House. But, according to Sunarto, the ban has so far not been able to halt deforestation in Sumatra.

Sumatra elephants, along with Sumatra orangutans, Javanese and Sumatra rhinos and Sumatra tigers, are on a growing list of endangered mammals in Indonesia.

Scientists believe that if the current trend of forest conservation continues, Sumatran elephants could become extinct in the wild in less than 30 years.