Three endangered Sumatran elephants have been found dead, all with their tusks removed, in Indonesia’s Aceh province, an official said on Monday.
Two males were found by residents in a palm oil plantation in East Aceh district on Sunday, said Genman Hasibuan, the head of the provincial Nature Conservancy Agency.
“We strongly believe that the elephants were deliberately killed for their tusks,” he said, adding that his office was working with police to investigate.
The body of a third male elephant was found on Friday in Aceh Jaya district, also with its tusks removed, Mr. Hasibuan said.
“Law enforcement has been better in the past few years but we need to take more serious action to minimize poaching,” he said.
There are an estimated 500 Sumatran elephants remaining in Aceh.
