Wild Elephants are Our Neighbors

KOMPAS/VINA OKTAVIA

A local shows tools used to drive out wild elephants during a gathering in Margomulyo village, Semaka district, Tanggamus regency, Lampung, Monday (25/11/2019).

Farmers who live near Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park, Tanggamus regency, Lampung, used to consider herds of wild elephants their enemies. Lately, they have chosen to coexist with these mammals.

Tupon, 50, a resident of Margomulyo village, Semaka district, Tanggamus, will never forget the time when six wild elephants were moving toward his home with only wooden walls one evening. Although he was born and grew up close to a forest zone, he got scared as he peeked through wall rifts to find the elephants treading on banana trees in his garden.

He was also worried about the elephants tearing down the cabin where he lived with his wife and three children.

So Tupon hurriedly tossed out several bunches of bananas he kept inside. He did it to make the wild elephants go farther from his home. Fortunately, the protected animals returned to the forest after eating up the bananas in the garden.

Tupon’s home lies on the active crossing lane of elephants in Margomulyo village. Between his cabin and Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park (TNBBS), there’s only a 6-meter-wide village path. “Wild elephants have been passing this village dozens of times,” he said on Monday (25/11/2019) noon.

So far, Tupon has been planting coffee and nutmeg trees. To meet his daily needs, he grows banana trees because of their quicker harvests. Besides, he also works as a motorcycle taxi driver for extra income.

Tupon serves as a portrait of most residents of Margomulyo village. The majority of people in the TNBBS buffer village cultivate plantation crops. They occupy communal land of which the ownership certificates are being processed by the government.

KOMPAS/VINA OKTAVIA

Visitors check out livestock barn mockups that are safe from wildlife attacks during a gathering in Margomulyo village, Semaka district, Tanggamus regency, Lampung, Monday (25/11/2019). The barns can be built in villages around the forest area.

Traces of conflicts

Conflicts between humans and wild elephants have frequently occurred in four regencies in Lampung over the past several years. During the period of 2012-2018, the Wildlife Conservation Society Indonesia Program (WCS-IP) recorded 233 conflicts between men and elephants and 123 other conflicts in Bukit Barisan Selatan and Bukit Balai Rejang Selatan.

In Tanggamus regency and the western coast, human-elephant conflicts even have caused the death of three people over the last two years.

Margomulyo village people have today gained the capability of driving away elephants so there are no more dead victims. Guided by the WCS-IP, they have formed the village’s Human-Elephant Conflict Mitigation Task Force.

Apart from understanding the perspective of wildlife, residents are also trained to overcome conflicts independently on the basis of conservation. Margomulyo is one of the 16 villages in Sumatra evaluated as self-reliant in handling conflicts with wild animals.

“We use siren wires and explosive devices to repel elephants. These tools are safe and cheap,” said chairman of the Human-Wildlife Conflict Mitigation Task Force of Margomulyo, Suyono.

KOMPAS/VINA OKTAVIA

A local shows tools used to drive out wild elephants during a gathering in Margomulyo village, Semaka district, Tanggamus regency, Lampung, Monday (25/11/2019).

In addition, various kinds of equipment to ward off wild elephants are also displayed at the meeting hall of the task force team, which was turned into an exhibition room. A model of cattle shed against wild animal attacks as well as forest products like honey and wooden handicrafts are also put on show.

According to Suyono, residents started using siren wires and explosive devices in 2017. The wires are fitted on two elephant crossing lanes in the village. These cables function as instruments to detect the arrival of elephants. People who hear the siren alarm immediately prepare explosive devices to drive away elephants so that they return to the forest. “Mbah Gajah (grandpa elephant) is afraid to hear the booms of the contrivances,” he said.

Suyono and village residents call wild elephants “Mbah Gajah”. It is a term of address that was used by their ancestors to show reverence for the huge animals.

Learning to be sincere

Suyono noted that many residents had so far suffered losses as their banana plantations were damaged by elephants. However, villagers now don’t want to bear a grudge too long against elephants. They’re learning to show a sincere attitude. “We realize that the wild elephants are our neighbors. As they’re neighbors, well, we should be sharing,” he laughingly said.

Chasing away elephants was seen as the responsibility of farmers whose crops were ruined by the animals. But this condition made residents exhausted due to individual attempts.

Formerly, they were not united in surmounting their conflicts with elephants. Chasing away elephants was seen as the responsibility of farmers whose crops were ruined by the animals. But this condition made residents exhausted due to individual attempts.

Some residents once used fire balls, also sulfur, to remove elephants. The method turned out to be ineffective. With the task force, they have now learned to undertake organized activity and innovate safer and more effective devices to force away elephants.

Margomulyo village secretary Binarno said the village administration provided aid in the form of flashlights, walkie-talkies and raincoats for the task force.According to landscape manager of the WCS-IP’s Bukit Barisan Selatan Program, Firdaus Affandi, the strengthening of conflict mitigation was important because the village community had become the spearhead of human-animal conflict handling.

Acting head of the Lampung Provincial Forestry Office, Wiyogo Supriyanto, expressed his appreciation for the village residents’ capability of overcoming conflicts through conservation.