Pekanbaru. A female elephant calf named Tari, just over two years old, was found dead on Wednesday morning in Tesso Nilo National Park, Pelalawan, Riau Province, officials confirmed.

According to Heru Sutmantoro, head of the Tesso Nilo National Park Authority, Tari had appeared healthy the previous day. “She was active, had a good appetite, normal digestion, and showed no signs of illness. Only her nursing activity had slightly decreased. By late afternoon, her condition was still stable without any visible symptoms,” Heru said in a statement.

At around 8:00 a.m. on Wednesday, the mahout assigned to her discovered Tari’s body. Veterinarians were immediately called in to conduct an examination.

The initial assessment found no external injuries or trauma, though her abdomen appeared slightly swollen. To determine the cause of death, a necropsy was performed and organ samples were collected for further analysis. These will be sent to a laboratory in Bogor for testing.

Tari was born on August 31, 2023, the offspring of a female elephant cared for in the park and a wild bull elephant.

Her sudden death marks a setback for conservationists striving to protect the critically endangered Sumatran elephant, which continues to face threats from habitat destruction and poaching.

The Sumatran elephant (Elephas maximus sumatranus), a subspecies of the Asian elephant, is listed as Critically Endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. Conservation groups estimate fewer than 2,500 individuals remain in the wild.

Over the past three decades, their population has declined by more than 70 percent due to rampant deforestation, agricultural expansion, and illegal poaching. Protected areas such as Tesso Nilo National Park have become crucial refuges, though conservationists warn that shrinking habitats continue to put the species at risk.