Pekanbaru, (Antarariau.com) - Thirteen elephants have died at the Tesso Nilo National Park (TNTN) during 2013, according to WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature).
"Most of the elephants were poisoned," WWF Riau's spokesman Syamsidar stated here, on Tuesday.
The 13 fatalities have been found only in the Tesso Nilo National Park, while elephants killed in other Riau areas have not been included yet, he noted.
The 38,576-hectare national park located in the Riau Province was inaugurated on July 19, 2004, and has the province's largest elephant population.
The park also has 360 species of flora, 107 species of birds, 23 species of mammals, three species of primates, 50 species of fish, 15 species of reptiles and 18 species of amphibians.
It is estimated that around 150 to 200 elephants live in the park. In May, two elephants - one female and a baby - were found dead in the park. They too were believed to have been poisoned.
He urged the government to take stern measures against elephant killers to protect the endangered animal population.
13 Elephants Died in Tesso Nilo Park in 2013: WWF
