My journey and documenting Sumatran Elephant in Aceh, Indonesia

[azwar.ipank]

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This is a very memorable journey in my life. If I usually document people photography in the city, this time I have to travel 100 kilometers from my city of residence.

The Peusangan Watershed Conservation Rescue Unit (CRU) is a Sumatran elephant breeding center tasked with herding wild elephants to stay away from residents' settlements and plantations located at the Rime Gayo Gate (Forest border in Bireuen and Bener Meriah districts)

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The conflict between elephants and humans is one of the fundamental problems in this region, so that the government through the relevant agencies formed the CRU with the aim of minimizing conflict between elephants and humans.

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As long as there is no Das Peusangan CRU, this area has become a field to eradicate Sumatran elephants that descend closer to the residents' settlements and plantations. They are poisoned and even snared using a wire, of course this is a concern considering the Sumatran elephants are protected animals because the numbers are decreasing due to hunting ivory which has a fantastic price on the Asian black market.

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I met Arjuna, Rahmad and another female elephant. They are the elephants that occupy the Das Peusangan CRU. Arjuna and Rahmat's task is to herd the wild elephants away from the residents' settlements and plantations, together with the mahout (handler) they work together to protect the forest border at Pintu Rime Gayo.

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Luckily no wild elephants approached the residents' settlements and plantations this time, I also documented Rahmad and Arjuna together with the handlers at Das Peusangan CRU in their daily activities playing in the Peusangan river flow.

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If your friends are interested in playing here, the Peusangan Watershed CRU is also open to the public to watch the activities there, it's just that the distance and road conditions that are not conducive make Das Peusangan CRU a place that is rarely visited by people in Aceh. Even though if you think a little for a good thing, actually the Das Peusangan CRU can be an educational tour for the public to get to know and know about Sumatran elephants. Now that's my documentation when I had the opportunity to visit the Peusangan Watershed CRU, in Redelong sub-district, Bener Meriah district, Aceh province, Indonesia.

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All pictures are My own,

taken by Canon Mark IV

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@azwar.ipank