3 Sumatran elephants found poisoned in Indonesia
(AP) — An environmentalist says three endangered Sumatran elephants have been poisoned and found dead within a palm oil plantation in western Indonesia.
Rono Wiranata from the FAKTA nongovernment group said workers at the state-run plantation were believed to have placed the poison on palm fruits. The dead 3- and 5-year-old elephants were found Thursday in two separate locations in East Aceh district.
Wiranata on Friday cited plantation workers in saying more elephants may die from the poison.
Five of the endangered Sumatran elephants have been found poisoned in Aceh province since April.
Fewer than 3,000 Sumatran elephants are left in the wild. Environmentalists say they could be extinct within three decades unless they are protected.
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