ACEH TIMUR - East Aceh Police Resort (Polres) in cooperation with the Ministry of Environment and Forestry Team (Directorate General of KSDAE and DG of Gakkum) and supported by Police Headquarters Criminal Investigation Unit revealed the murder case of Sumatran elephant Bunta in East Aceh.

"In the disclosure, two people are suspects and detained by the East Aceh Police, and two more are on the Search List (DPO) and are in pursuit," said East Aceh Police Chief AKBP Wahyu Kuncoro on Wednesday (4/7/2018).

Revelation revealed the two suspects with the initials BW and AL are residents around CRU Serbojadi East Aceh. While two more initials PT and AR. "Officers also secure the evidence, in the form of motorcycles, ivory, and a blade of machete," he said.

Meanwhile, Director of KKH, Directorate General of KSDAE, Indra Exploitasia, submitted KLHK to be responsible for the settlement of this case because Elephant is a wild animal protected by Law Number 5 Year 1990 on KSDAH & E.

In fact, he continued, elephas maximus is the animal that entered the list of appendix 1 CITES (convention about wildlife trade), which means it can not be traded because of its threatened conservation status is endangered.

"In Indonesia there are 2 sub species of elephant, elephas maximus sumatranus in Aceh, North Sumatra, Riau Jambi, Bengkulu, South Sumatra, and Lampung, and Elephas maximus borneonsis or pigmy elephants that spread in East Kalimantan," jaeas Indra.

The number of population in Indonesia according to census Forum Gajah in 2016 as much as 1724 tail. He also said that the existence of the Elephant population is increasingly threatened by the high space needed for human life.

In addition to the threat of habitat fragmentation, these animals are also threatened by wild hunting which is a wildlife crime. This is a serious crime because it is organized and transnational.

"This is because the elephant tusks are still hunted by collectors, so efforts to combat the hunting and trade of wild plants and wildlife, including elephant ivory, must be seriously done by all parties," said Indra Exploitasia.

Conservation efforts that have been done KLHK, among others, build 7 Elephant Conservation Center in Sumatra region and several conservation response units to overcome the conflict between human and Elephant.

"In Aceh province there are 7, including Serbojadi CRU, there are several elephant patrol units as media for conflict resolution and community empowerment through the forestry policing partners," Indra said.

Bareskrim Police Headquarters, Adi Karya Pol Kombes added the police will continue to encourage disclosure of this case. "We hope to be learning to all parties as an effort to conserve wildlife, especially the Elephants in Sumatra," he said.

The Bunta Elephant Killings are known to occur on June 9, 2018 to attract public attention both nationally and internationally. Because, the death of this tame elephant is considered unnatural.