Indonesian court sends to jail elephant poacher and traders

Associated Press

IDI, Indonesia (AP) — An Indonesian court has handed down prison sentences for five men accused of being involved in killing a Sumatran elephant and illegally trading its ivory, as local conservation authorities look to protect the endangered species. The court in Aceh on Wednesday sentenced the men for violating Indonesian laws protecting natural resources and their ecosystems. Police say the Sumatran elephant was found dead and beheaded in July, leading to an investigation and the arrest of the five suspects a month later. Indonesian forestry and environment ministry’s data showed the Sumatran elephant population has shrunk from 1,300 in 2014 to 693, down nearly 50% in the past seven years.