The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Wed, 02/03/2010 4:43 PM
Dozens of wild elephants have been roaming in the operational area of US-based leading oil producer Chevron Pacific Indonesia (CPI) in Duri district, Riau over the past week, but the provincial natural resources conservation agency has no plans to capture the giant mammals.
Head of the agency, M. Hutomo, said Wednesday evacuation of the elephants would spark a conflict between humans and the protected animals, which have been displaced from their habitat due to its conversion into palm oil plantations and residential areas.
“Capturing the elephants will not solve the problem. The best solution is to domesticate the elephants for ecotourism interests and the delivery of oil palm kernels,” Hutomo told Antara state news agency.
The agency is deploying a team to monitor the elephants on a daily basis. Hutomo said the elephants had not caused damage to the oil company’s property as they only were only seeking leaves to eat.
No comments:
Post a Comment