Endangered Species lists and Indonesian laws are not enough to
protect the Sumatran Elephant an animal that has been moved from
the category of endangered, to the critically endangered list.
Currently there are less than twenty eight hundred elephants
left and the numbers are dropping rapidly as more and more of
their habitat is lost to agriculture and industry. If nothing is
done to stop this process, the species is expected to last as
little as thirty years. The animals have lost 85% of their
unprotected land and there is no indication that this process
will stop. Deforestation has claimed 2/3rds of the natural
lowland forest over the last 25 years. This forestland is the
prime habitat for Sumatran elephants. Dr. Carlos Drews, Director
of WWF’s Global Species Programme has stated, “The Sumatran
elephant joins a growing list of Indonesian species that are
critically endangered, including the Sumatran orangutan, the
Javan and Sumatran rhinos and the Sumatran tiger.” This shows
that the elephants decrease in n