GPS Collars Keep 120 Sumatran Elephants Safe from Jambi Fires
- 03 Sep 2026 19:29 WIB
- Voice of Indonesia
Poin Utama
- Jambi BKSDA has fitted GPS collars to five groups of Sumatran elephants in the Bukit Tigapuluh landscape to monitor their movements and protect them from land fires.
- The five elephant groups consist of around 120 protected Sumatran elephants in the Bukit Tigapuluh landscape.
RRI.CO.ID, Tebo - The installation of Global Positioning System (GPS) collars on five groups of Sumatran elephants (Elephas maximus sumatranus) in the Bukit Tigapuluh landscape is key to the Jambi Natural Resources Conservation Center (BKSDA) ensuring the safety of the 120 protected animals from the threat of land fires in Tebo Regency, Jambi. Through real-time satellite monitoring, the herd’s position has been confirmed to be outside the reach of fire hotspots.
“The fire in the Semambu area, Sumay Subdistrict, is indeed along the elephant corridor, positioned below (near) the elephant route. The elephants’ position is safe,” said Head of Conservation Section (SKW) II, Martialias Puspito, in Tebo on Thursday, 3 September 2026.
He explained that the land fire began on Wednesday evening, 2 September 2026, in an Area for Other Uses (APL), approximately three kilometers from the core conservation area. The fire location has been confirmed to be outside Bukit Tigapuluh National Park (TNBT), in a buffer zone near concession-holding companies PT LAJ and PT PAL.
Based on monitoring via GPS collars fitted on the elephant groups, the protected animals are positioned far from the fire site. To ensure the animals’ safety, the agency will continue to regularly monitor the movements of wild elephants, including maintaining communication with field officers.
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He added that the agency has not yet been able to calculate the extent of burned land. Currently, teams from the Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD), together with conservation officers and company personnel, are still carrying out firefighting efforts at the location.
“At all times we always check where the elephants are and where the hotspot positions are. I cannot yet confirm what crops were burned, but it is in the APL. I can confirm it is in the APL,” he concluded, as quoted by Antara.
Earlier, Head of BKSDA Jambi,Himawan Sasongko, said that based on mapping and studies conducted, the agency has identified five large female elephant groups in the area. These groups have been fitted with tracking collars or GPS devices in the Sumatran elephant population area within the Bukit Tigapuluh landscape.
The GPS collar installation aims to make it easier for officers to monitor movements in real time. Himawan estimates that there are currently around 120 elephants in the Bukit Tigapuluh landscape. ***
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