MidLand, Jakarta – A number of netizens are launching a petition calling for a full investigation into the case of Rahman, an elephant on patrol assisted by the Tesso Nilo National Park (TNTN) in Riau, suspected of having been poisoned to death on January 10. Posted in change.org from the @For GajahRahman account, the petition is addressed to the Riau Regional Police who are investigating the incident, as well as the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK). As of the writing of this article, 3,735 digital signatures had been collected for the petition, out of a goal of 5,000 signatures.
Rahman is a Sumatran elephant (Elephas maximus sumatranus) found on Gadang Island in 1995. This animal was trained to mitigate wildlife conflict at TNTN, Pelalawan Regency, which covers an area of 83 thousand hectares. The national park team regularly patrols using elephants, on foot or by motor vehicle to anticipate the entry of wild elephants into community oil palm or rubber plantations.
Before he could finally be rescued, Rahman was found unresponsive. Later, officers found fragments of black powder in Rahman’s digestive organs. It is suspected that the elephant was poisoned for its tusks.
For Gajah Rahman promoter Fitriani Dwi Kurniasari said the Sumatran elephant is a key animal whose status is already on the verge of extinction, even though it plays an important role in the balance of the human ecosystem. “We show our role in caring for them, no matter how small, means a lot,” he said in a written statement, Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2024.
According to him, this is not the first case of a patrolling elephant being poisoned to death. In Riau, a similar thing happened at the Minas Elephant Training Center in May 2009. At that time two elephants died and the perpetrator did not have time to take away two pairs of tusks.
“Similar incidents also occurred in Aceh and Lampung,” Fitriani said. “This does not even include other cases of wild elephants whose perpetrators have not been revealed.”
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The importance of the fatwa on animal conservation
The same concern also came from the Institute for the Enhancement of the Environment and Natural Resources of the Indonesian Ulema Council (LPLH-SDA MUI) Riau. The president of the MUI Riau Environment and Natural Resources Breeding Institute, Abdurrahman Qoharuddin, admitted that he has a special closeness with Rahman. He was also involved in the preparation of Fatwa number 4 regarding the preservation of animals in danger of extinction for the balance of the ecosystem, issued by the MUI in 2014.
“His name is the same as mine, which means good and (Gajah Rahman) is really good and has helped people a lot,” he said.
Three weeks after Rahman’s death, the police investigation continues. Pelalawan police chief Deputy Police Commissioner Suwinto said his unit and the Special Criminal Investigation Directorate of the Riau Regional Police conducted a series of investigations. “We at the Pelalawan police are just accompanying us,” Suwinto said when contacted by Tempo on Monday, January 29, 2024.
IRSYAN HASYIM
Quoted From Many Source
