May 8, 2007, 5:39 GMT
Jakarta - Two residents were injured after they were trampled by two wild elephants that went on a rampage in Indonesia's eastern Sumatra province of Riau, a local media report said Tuesday.
The incident took place on Sunday in Palas village of Pelelawan district when two rubber farmers were trampled by a couple of wild elephants. The beasts have periodically gone on rampages through the farm lands, the state-run Antara news agency reported.
'The wild elephants' rampage has seriously wounded one resident and lightly injuring another one,' Khairunnas, Pelelawan district chief, was quoted as saying.
Meanwhile, another herd of about 50 wild elephants was reported on the rampage in South Aceh district of Aceh province on the northern end of Sumatra in the last few weeks, destroying hundreds of hectares of crops, Antara reported.
Despite repeated efforts to drive the wild elephants into their jungle habitat, local government officials and conservationists have said it would be difficult to guarantee the pachyderms would not return and run amuck again because of human resettlements encroaching on the wild elephants' old stomping grounds.
Environmentalists and conservation officials have said that widespread destruction of elephant habitat through illegal logging and uncontrolled conversion of forests into oil palm and pulp plantations have created intense conflict between humans and elephants as the animals are forced to feed on the crops that replaced their natural foods.
Habitat destruction, combined with illegal poaching, has also slashed the population of Sumatra's remaining wild elephants.
According to Sumatran environmentalists, about 4,000 wild elephants roam Sumatra, the only island in Indonesia where they can still be found in the wild. They are listed as an endangered species and protected by law.
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