The US Fish and Wildlife Service will contribute two-thirds of a US$71,328 to a project to close wildlife death trap abandoned wells inside the Way Kambas National Park in Sumatra, Indonesia. The remaining one-third is contributed by
the Ecolodges Indonesia Wildlife Rescue Fund.
The estimated 4,000 wells have become death traps for wild animals including baby elephants. They belonged to the communities that were relocated out of the park when it was established in 1984. The hidden wells have become a deadly legacy threatening the very animals the park is designed to protect.
The project will:
• Identify open wells and close them
• Rescue and rehabilitate elephants that have fallen into the wells
• Monitor the well closures over time
INI RADEF, the Indonesian International Rural Agricultural Development Foundation located at Udayana University, Bali, is the recipient of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Assistance Award which will be Project Managed by conservationist and Veterinarian, Dr Claire Oelrichs from the Ecolodges Indonesia Wildlife Rescue Fund.
A recent Australian newspaper article (Sydney Morning Herald) on the situation and Dr Oelrichs work is available at smh.com
Sakura is a three-year-old elephant, After falling in backwards and being stranded for
some 2 weeks without food or water, she was carefully pulled from one of the abandoned wells in Sumatra, Indonesia.
From Steve Noakes
