PEKANBARU, Indonesia – A wild elephant trampled a man to death while others destroyed parts of palm oil plantations on Indonesia's Sumatra island, officials said.
About 30 elephants were foraging yesterday in villages in Riau province, about 600 miles northwest of Jakarta, when one of the animals strayed and attacked a nearby work camp, Syamsidar, a local World Wildlife Fund spokesman who uses one name, said Wednesday.
The elephant ran abruptly into the camp owned by giant pulp and paper company PT Indah Kiat, causing dozens of workers to flee, and killing a 24-year-old worker, said Nurul Huda, a company spokesman.
“Some saw the giant animal trample him to death, but they could not do anything to help him,” Huda said.
The elephants also devoured crops and fruits, Syamsidar said, and damaged several acres of rubber and palm oil plants.
Sumatra's elephant habitats are quickly shrinking due to illegal logging and land clearing. About 2,500 wild elephants are believed to live on the island, Indonesia's largest.
