Asian Elephants
Sumatran Elephant
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Common Name: Sumatran Elephant
Scientific Name: Elephas maximus sumatranus
Habitat: Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests
Location: Sumatra, Western Indonesia
The Sumatran elephant is facing serious pressures arising from illegal logging and associated habitat loss and fragmentation in Indonesia. The island's elephant population has come under increasing threat from rapid forest conversion to plantations. As forests shrink, elephants are increasingly closer to fields and cultivated land, generating conflict with humans that often results in the death of the elephants by poisoning or capture, as well as economic losses to humans.
More on the Ecology of the Sumatran Elephant
Physical Description
Males rarely develop long tusks, while those of adult females may be so short that they are hidden by the upper lip. Adult Sumatran elephants can reach 6-9 feet at the shoulder. This elephant can live up to 70 years in captivity, less in the wild.
Diet
The Sumatran elephant feeds on green vegetation and several hundred pounds, namely bananas, ginger, young bamboo and leaves of a variety of vines.
WWF Works to:
In February 1999, WWF began establishing a "safe haven" for one of the largest remaining populations of the Sumatran elephant in Riau Province, Sumatra. By carrying out research on elephants and the nature of the conflicts, and working with local communities and companies, WWF intends to develop solutions that ensure living space for both humans and elephants.
A major breakthrough has been achieved with the 2004 declaration of Tesso Nilo National Park, a protected area in Riau, which represents a significant step towards the protection of the elephant's habitat. The Tesso Nilo forest is one of the last forest blocks large enough in Riau to support a viable population of endangered Sumatran elephants and is also home to an important population of critically endangered Sumatran tigers. This forest is under severe pressure, as Sumatra has what is perhaps the world’s highest deforestation rate. Since 1985 the island has lost 48 percent of its forests – more than 29.6 million acres.
© WWF-US/Jan Vertefeuille
Spotlight: Flying Squad
In 2004, WWF introduced the first Elephant Flying Squad to Riau Province in central Sumatra, to a village near the newly established Tesso Nilo National Park. It was a way to bring short-term relief to the intense conflict between people and elephants there and to create support for elephant conservation among struggling communities. Learn More
