Sumatran elephants move closer to extinction, WWF says

Jan 24, 2012, 9:45 GMT

Jakarta - The Sumatran elephant could be extinct in less than 30 years unless action is taken to stop the destruction of their habitat, environmental group WWF said Tuesday.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature, IUCN, has downgraded the status of the Sumatran elephant from 'endangered' to 'critically endangered,' WWF said.

'The Sumatran elephant joins a growing list of Indonesian species that are critically endangered, including the Sumatran orangutan, the Javan and Sumatran rhinoceros and the Sumatran tiger,' Carlos Drews, director of WWF's Global Species Programme, said in a statement.

'Unless urgent and effective conservation action is taken these magnificent animals are likely to go extinct within our lifetime,' he said.

There are only an estimated 2,400 to 2,800 of the elephants remaining in the wild, a reduction of about 50 per cent from the 1985 population estimate.

'Scientists say that if current trends continue, Sumatran elephants could be extinct in the wild in less than 30 years,' WWF said.

The Sumatran elephant is a sub-species of the Asian elephant, and at 2 to 3 metres high stands slightly less tall than its South Asian cousins. It is also lighter in colour.

WWF urged the Indonesian government to prohibit all industrial activity in elephant habitats until an effective conservation strategy for the animals has been found.

'Forest concession holders such as pulp and paper companies and the palm oil industry have a legal and ethical obligation to protect endangered species within their concessions,' said Anwar Purwoto, a WWF campaigner in Indonesia.