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Balai Raja Wildlife Reserve Converted to Oil Palm Plantations
Sebanga - Balai Raja Wildlife Reserve in Sebanga village, Duri, Riau, almost no longer exists. The 16,000 hectare area which in early 1990 was declared as an elephant reserve is nearly gone because it has been converted to oil palm plantations.
When Kompas visited the Elephant Training Center in Sebanga, Duri, which is 125 kilometers away from Pekanbaru, on Saturday (3/4), the center, which is part of Balai Raja Wildlife Reserve, only has 50 hectares of land left. Even that much has been claimed by local citizens.
On June 1992 Sebanga Elephant Training Center was established by the Governor of Riau as a 5,873 hectare elephant reserve area. It was part of Balai Raja Wildlife Reserve. The center was designed for elephant training while Balai Raja Wildlife Reserve was established as a relocation area for elephants that were beginning to enter local residence areas, such as Petani village, Balai Makam village, and Pangkalan Pudu, which are not far from Sebanga.
Currently, almost all of Balai Raja Wildlife Reserve is gone, while the elephants have not been relocated and still often enter villages.
Currently wild elephant herds often enter Petani village, Balai Makam village, and Pangkalan Pudu. The Riau Natural Resource Conservation Agency could not relocate the elephants because there is no longer a place to relocate the elephants.
According to Herman Aruan, a former elephant trainer that still lives in the center, the remaining 50 hectares owned by the center could no longer be defined as a forest. Most of area is now bushes and shrubs from marshlands surrounding the center. “If the marsh was hard ground, all of it would have been gone,” he said.
The housing area of the center’s employees has also been planted with oil palm. The only remaining land left is a 2 hectare elephant playground. “We don’t dare discuss oil palm ownership in this area. We only work as elephant trainers. It is better for us to take care of the elephants than argue with oil palm owners,” said Irwansyah, a senior elephant trainer.
Irwansyah said there are only seven elephants left in Sebanga Elephant Training Center.
Elephant Route
Syafriwan, Chief of RT 06 RW 10 of Petani village said his village is a year long elephant route. A herd of 40 to 45 elephants cross through the village throughout the year.
The elephants have a fixed route each year. The usually start from Pelapit Aman in Pangkalan Pudu and head towards Tegar. Afterwards the herd will return to Pelapit Aman. The travel is repeated annually.
“We don’t know how to drive away the elephants. If they enter our village, they destroy our gardens and houses. We can’t fight back, meanwhile the government does nothing. If we kill the elephants, the police will come after us,” said Syafriwan.
“Why isn’t the government doing anything while the elephants attack us, causing us to lose all we have and threaten our lives?” asked Syafriwan. (SAH)
Source : Kompas