Monitoring for More in Sumatra

In 2020, AES supported a project in Way Kambas National Park in southern Sumatra to deploy a total of six GPS collars on wild elephants.

Last year AES agreed to continue support for this project in 2023 by providing for three of the older collars to be replaced as their battery life neared an end. A couple of months ago two of those collars were replaced on female elephants from resident herds. Recently the third collar was replaced on a resident bull named “Dugul” who is well known to local communities as he sometimes strays out of the National Park, but is not very destructive.

 The Elephant Response Unit (ERU) teams monitor the collared elephants, ensuring they stay in the National Park and do not venture into nearby agricultural fields. Data collected from the collars helps the field staff better track elephant movement within the National Park. With this information ERU teams keep both human and elephant populations safe.

We are grateful for the efforts of the field staff of the Way Kambas National Park and of our in-country partner Komunitas Untuk Hutan Sumatera whose dedication supports the conservation of critically endangered Sumatran elephants.

A “Trunk” Full of Veterinary Care for Wildlife in Sumatra

Did you know that with our continued support and your generous donations, our efforts to help elephants also have an impact on the care and conservation of other species?
 
The Veterinarians from the Wildlife Ambulance of the Syiah Kuala University Veterinary Faculty in Aceh not only provide routine healthcare to elephants but also education and care for other wildlife as well!

 In 2022 the Syiah Kuala University Veterinary Faculty conducted courses on the medical management of elephants, tigers, orangutans, and sun bears and gave lectures about wildlife conservation issues, challenges and strategies. Numerous other courses and lectures covered topics as varied as avian and primate medical care, drug administration, and health care for sun bears. In addition, the Wildlife Ambulance staff held seven elephant care seminars with a total of 155 participants. Each seminar focused on elephant health care topics such as safety, clinical examinations, sample collections, and foot care.

Besides elephant health care, the Wildlife Ambulance also provided needed veterinary services for the treatment and rescue of injured sun bears in six cases, and the rescue of long tailed macaques in three cases. In addition to these cases and the numerous local elephant cases, the Wildlife Ambulance was called on to assist with two elephant cases in Laos and Malaysia, ensuring that their efforts to help wildlife doesn’t end at the border. By helping us to help elephants so much more is accomplished!

We are grateful for the efforts of the Veterinarians of the Wildlife Ambulance who continue to care for and the Rangers of the Elephant Response Units who continue to protect endangered wildlife in Sumatra. Thank you to all partners in the field!

To support the Wildlife Ambulance, the ERU teams and other AES partners working in the field to save wild elephants and other endangered species, become a donor, today!

Veterinarians of the Wildlife Ambulance

With your generosity and the continued support of Woodland Park Zoo, our efforts help the Veterinarians from the Wildlife Ambulance Of the Syiah Kuala University Veterinary Faculty in Aceh, Sumatra provide routine healthcare to elephants and other wildlife. In 2022 the Wildlife Ambulance conducted a total of 55 field operations, each lasting from one-ten days (159 days in total). The most frequent activity was providing regular health care for a total of 59 captive elephants in 12 different locations in the provinces of Aceh and Lampung. These elephants participate in patrol units for forest monitoring and Human-Elephant conflict mitigation.Besides elephant health care, the Wildlife Ambulance also provided needed veterinary services to Wildlife Conservation Authorities for the GPS collaring of a wild elephant (1 case), translocation of wild elephants (5 cases), treatment of injured wild elephants (3 cases), and elephant post-mortems (2 cases).
We are grateful  for the efforts of the Veterinarians of the Wildlife Ambulance who continue to care for endangered wildlife in Sumatra.

Routine Elephant check-ups on at Conservation Response Unit (CRU) Das Peusangan in Aceh

On the Road with Veterinarians in Sumatra

In October 2022, AES accompanied Dr. Riyan from our field partner Wildlife Ambulance, and a fellow Veterinarian, Dr. Rika from the Aceh Provincial Conservation Agency (BKSDA), as they performed routine check-ups on elephants at the Conservation Response Unit (CRU) Das Peusangan in Aceh (northern Sumatra).

Routine health checks like these consist of body condition and weight assessments, inspections of teeth and tusks/tushes, and providing needed medicines.

Also in October, AES followed our veterinary partner, the Wildlife Ambulance from the Syiah Kuala University Veterinary Faculty in Aceh, on their regular visit to check the health of the Elephant Response Unit (ERU) elephants in Way Kambas National Park.In addition to health checks, they provided any needed medicine such as de-wormers and checked elephant foot health.We are grateful for the efforts of Veterinarians, Dr. Riyan and Firdaus, from the Wildlife Ambulance who are dedicated to providing medical care for critically endangered Sumatran elephants and other endangered wildlife.

Mobile Veterinary Program: Elephants and Sun Bears, too!

The vet program has been quite active especially since the wildlife ambulance has been fully operating since the end of last year. Currently it is providing the veterinary assistance for GPS collaring program for HEC mitigation in Aceh which is run in collaboration with BKSDA and researchers from the University. The first elephant was collared in east Aceh the end of December, the second one in early January in Aceh Besar, and the collaring operation for third one in Aceh Jaya was completed in February.
 

In early January the wildlife ambulance provided the veterinary assistance for the rescue of an elephant baby of about 6 months of age. This baby had been abandoned: it is unclear if its mother may have been killed or for other reason could not follow its fast moving herd that had been driven in difficult terrain during a conflict situation. The baby had already strolled around in the area observed by local people and become increasingly dehydrated and weak.  It was not possible to reconnect the baby to its herd and it needed fluid therapy, food supplements, and some wound treatments. After initial treatment on site, the baby was transferred to the ECC in Saree and currently is cared for there with assistance from the wildlife ambulance.
 

The Wildlife ambulance recently also assisted the BKSDA with the rescue of two snared sun bears: one was released directly after it was freed from the snare; due to very serious injuries. The other bear had to be taken to the vet faculty for surgery and remains under treatment at the BKSDA Aceh quarantine facility where the ambulance staff provide regular care.  We are involving our students in this care to give them some hands-on experience with the care of injured wildlife.  We hope that the recovery of this second bear will progress within the next 2 months to a level that will enable us to release this animal back into the wild.

Bundles of joy from Sumatra

We are extremely excited to share some wonderful news from Sumatra! And what could be more exciting than a baby elephant! How about TWO baby elephants?! On March 20th, Riksa gave birth to the first baby born at the Tegal Yoso Elephant Response Unit (ERU) in Way Kambas National Park. The female calf weighed in at 190 pounds and is the second calf for 23-year-old Riska. As a special surprise for us, this little girl was named Linda after AES founder and president, Linda Reifschneider. Seven days later, on March 27th, Donna gave birth to a health male calf named Cory. This, not so little, boy weighed in at 270 pounds.

And you, our donors, had a part in these miraculous events too!  As a direct result of your support, AES was able to donate funds to build an electrical fence enclosure for the elephants to give birth.  This gave the mothers more room during labor, but also allowed the mahouts to remain close to assist, if needed.

We couldn’t be more proud to have played a role in these wonderful events and we can’t thank you enough for your continued support.

Craving more baby elephants? Check out the videos below!

Linda and Cory taking a bath

New calf in Sumatra gets to know head mahout Nazzarudin while playing in the rain.

7th Indonesian Mahout Workshop

A wonderful group photo of all workshop participants, until next year!

The 7th Indonesian Mahout Workshop hosted by FOKMAS (Indonesian Mahout Communication Forum) was held from February 24-27, 2015, at the Minas government elephant training center  located in the province of Riau in Sumatra, Indonesia. Seventy participants attended the workshop and represented most of the Sumatran government elephant camps, Conservation Response Units (CRUs), and other elephant patrol units in Sumatra, as well as several zoos and safari parks from Sumatra, Java, and Bali. The majority of participants were mahouts, but some camp managers and veterinarians from private facilities also attended.

The Indonesian Mahout Workshops were initiated in 2006 at the Seblat government elephant conservation center in Bengkulu province (Sumatra) to provide an opportunity for mahouts to share information, strengthen their professionalism, and influence elephant conservation in Indonesia more effectively.

Banner showing all the sponsors that helped make the workshop possible

Several NGOs, including the International Elephant Foundation, Asian Elephant Support, and the Elephant Managers Association, provided workshop support to assist this professional training opportunity for mahouts. General issues discussed during the workshop included problems mahouts encounter in their elephant work and habitat conservation efforts, finding solutions to improve the care and management of Indonesia’s wild and captive elephants, and means to create an information network with colleagues throughout Asia. FOKMAS and the Mahout Workshops are supported by Indonesian government conservation agencies

During the first two days of the workshop several presentations and an informal hands-on session were given by visiting colleagues from the Myanma Timber Enterprise (MTE). The group from Myanmar included 2 MTE elephant veterinarians, an MTE manager, and a senior mahout (Singaung) from an MTE timber camp.  The Indonesian mahouts were very attentive to the presentations from their Myanmar counterparts, and good discussions resulted from the interactions.  The participants from Myanmar were impressed with the level of interest from the Indonesian mahouts and expressed the intention to develop similar meeting and training opportunities for mahouts in Myanmar.  As you may remember, Asian Elephant Support has helped fund both veterinarian and mahout workshops in Myanmar.

In addition to presentations, training in field navigation using maps and GPS units was conducted during the Workshop. This training was divided into two parts: theoretical background and hands-on practice in locations within the Minas camp area. All mahouts were instructed about various skills to deal with wildlife monitoring and illegal activities such as data collection and recording, GPS instruction, human-wildlife conflict mitigation techniques, and community relations. Building capacity of the mahouts with skills for improved forest protection and wildlife conservation also promotes improved job performance of these individuals.  

The final part of the Mahout Workshop included discussion among the participants about improving elephant facilities and management in Indonesia, and a wrap up of the field navigation and GPS sessions.

Lecture time

These Mahout Workshops and interactions with fellow mahouts from around Asia are very important for the mahout staff across Indonesia.  There is a need to continue these regional professional exchanges and training as this has resulted in positive outcomes.  In Indonesia, the government has requested input from FOKMAS about mitigating elephant conflict.  FOKMAS is currently in the planning stages for the next Mahout Workshop and will continue hosting mahout training modules so this level of staff can be more effective participants in elephant conservation initiatives in Indonesia.

Asian Elephant Support appreciates the opportunity we have had to be a part of this educational effort thanks to the support of our donors.  So that we will be able to help fund future workshops, please consider making a donation.  Our thanks!

Aceh Conservation, Environment, Humanity Program

A Real Team Effort..

Asian Elephant Support is participating in a significant endeavor with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.   This innovative effort, the “Aceh Conservation, Environment, Humanity” (ACEH) program, is working to engage legislators in Aceh Province, Indonesia.

Conservation biologists alone have not been able to slow down the rapid decline in numbers of wildlife species and their wild habitats around the world.  Human-elephant conflict (HEC) has been identified as a major threat to elephant conservation by all Asian elephant range country governments.  The greatest danger HEC poses to elephants is the antagonism it generates among local communities toward wildlife.

The specific goals of ACEH are:

• Strengthen the concept of “sustainable development”, which has been mandated by the Indonesian Constitution.
• Support the formation and operation of the Aceh Sustainable Development Caucus.
• Facilitate the flow of information about sustainable development to legislators in order to enhance the development of public policies that incorporate sustainability principles.
• Provide technical consultation to Aceh’s Parliament on a variety of issues such as land-use planning.

In January and February of this year, the ACEH team devoted significant time to conducting presentations and meetings with 13 of the 15 political parties in Aceh during the lead up to the local elections in April.  ACEH is building a network of civil society organizations to contribute to this effort.  At present ACEH is planning the agenda and structure for the Caucus, which is expected to begin in October 2014 when newly elected legislators start their terms.

We want to share with you the ACEH brochure, in English, that summarizes this project.  We appreciate our supporters who, in turn, enable us to be a small part of this major effort for wildlife in Aceh and throughout Asia.

Aceh Brochure Page 1

Aceh Brochure Page 2

Regional Asian Elephant Veterinary Workshop

In 2011, AES received a grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Asian Elephant Conservation Fund to support important educational opportunities for veterinarians from Asian elephant range countries. On March 27- 30,2012, AES president attended the Regional Asian Elephant Veterinary Workshop in Banda Aceh, Sumatra, along with our international advisor, Heidi Riddle.

Thirty-five veterinarians representing the Asian elephant range countries of India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Laos, Nepal, Myanmar, Malaysia (Sabah) and Indonesia attended this four day workshop.  Veterinarians from Germany, Japan, and Singapore also participated. The goals of the workshop are to provide in-country veterinarians with a unique opportunity for building their own capacity by sharing experiences and gaining valuable knowledge about the health and well-being of Asian elephants. Most importantly, the workshop provides an opportunity to network with others in the region to ensure continued collaborations long after everyone has returned home.

The first day of the workshop was a full day of presentations. The topics included status and health care management of elephants in Myanmar, Providing care to elephants in Lao PDR, and Health management of captive elephants in Sumatra.

The second day began with a presentation followed by hands-on ultrasound demonstrations with six elephants, at the campus of the Syiah Kuala University. Workshop attendees were given an opportunity to ultrasound either a male or female elephant, and better understand the interpretation of the anatomical images.  In addition to the workshop attendees, veterinary students from the University’s Veterinary College also participated in this unique learning session.

Day three was one to celebrate.  We have all attended conferences where the attendees seem to fade with the passing days of papers, especially the long days of presentations.  Not at this workshop!   The presentations began at 8 a.m. and concluded at 7 p.m. and everyone was as alert and tuned in at 7 p.m. as they were when the day started. The presenters included veterinarians that AES has supported in various projects, such as Dr. Christopher Stremme from Sumatra-Indonesia, and Drs. Arun Zachariah and Kushal Sarma from India. These veterinarians have substantial experience with elephants and they understand the importance of sharing information with their peers.  It was a wonderful opportunity to visit in person with Drs. Stremme, Zachariah, and Sarma and hear the progress of their work.

The fourth and final day of the workshop was another hands-on demonstration with the elephants at the University campus.  This session covered foot care, methods of weighing (including a demonstration with one of the scales donated by AES), conducting a thorough general examination, and injection protocols. Once again the University veterinary students also participated.

Overall, the workshop was a success and was appreciated by all of the attendees. It was also a wonderful opportunity to meet veterinarians who are representatives of governmental and nongovernmental organizations from the various Asian elephant range countries. This workshop will certainly lead to further collaborative opportunities in the future, as we are most effective when we work together for the same objective of helping Asian elephants survive the challenges they face every day.

Harris, the rescued bull

We want to share with you the story of a special elephant in Sumatra named Harris, who was provided care during a visit to Aceh to see the elephants there.  

At 18 years old Harris was alone, under nourished and full of parasites, and his future appeared dim. Harris was moved to one of the elephant camps where the Veterinary Society for Sumatran Wildlife Conservation (Vesswic) provides medical care for elephants, in agreement with the Sumatran government.

Harris in his previous location

Eighteen months later, Harris is now a healthy elephant who enjoys the mental stimulation and physical activity of forest patrols, where he helps keep his wild counterparts safe from poachers and illegal settlers, whose presence hasten the fragmentation and loss of the wild elephants' home.  

Please read the full story of Harris  and see how your support through a donation can help individuals and at the same time contribute to conservation efforts.

Harris with his mahout, Saparudin