Rare elephants poisoned by poachers in Indonesia
Two rare Sumatran elephants believed to have been poisoned with cyanide-laced pineapples were found dead in the jungles of northwestern Indonesia with their tusks removed.
The giant males aged 16 and 23 were discovered near Pekanbaru, Sumatra, about 560 miles from the capital, Jakarta, said a spokesman for the Conservation and Natural Resources Agency.
Four pineapples spiked with cyanide were scattered on the ground near the carcasses and two sets of bloodied tusks had been hidden in the underbrush.
Police were searching for poachers believed responsible, he said.
Indonesia’s endangered elephants, tigers, rhinos and orangutans are increasingly threatened by shrinking jungle habitat, which is cut and burned to make way for plantations or sold as lumber.
Just 3,000 Sumatran elephants are believed to still be living in their natural surroundings.
