Critically Endangered Elephant Found Dead, Tusks Removed

An endangered Sumatran elephant was found dead on Monday, near a palm oil plantation in Sumatra, western Indonesia. The elephant was missing its tusks, it was found close to the Teso Nilo National Park. Park rangers confirmed that the cause of death is still unknown as they are still investigating. Many elephants are however poisoned by poachers for their tusks. WWF estimates there are only 2,400 to 2,800 elephants of the Sumatran subspecies alive in the wild, marking a 50% drop in numbers since 1985. Scientists say that if current trends continue, the animals could be extinct in the wild in less than 30 years. In addition to poaching, The Sumatran elephant is suffering from a severed habitat loss driven by oil palm and paper plantations.