The Flying Squad
The WWF Flying Squad
The Tesso Nilo Elephant Flying Squad is a team of four captive elephants and eight handlers (mahouts). The team patrols settlements on the edges of Tesso Nilo National Park and helps the local farmers to reduce elephant conflict.
Established in 2004, the Flying Squad is a joint operation of WWF-Indonesia and the Conservation Authority of Riau. The Squad covers Lubuk Kembang Bunga village on the northern border of Tesso Nilo National Park. Its mission is to:
- reduce damage to communities by pushing wild elephants back into the forest
- teach communities how to mitigate conflict
- Instill a sense of security in the communities to give them confidence that they can protect their farms without killing elephants
- monitor illegal activities in the park
- Provide employment and decent living conditions to captive conflict elephants
Bathing The Elephant. Roji captured Flying Squad’s mahouts bathing the Flying Squad’s elephants in a small river inside Tesso Nilo forest. Before they go patrol, the mahouts must bath the elephants in order to avoid agas, a kind of insects that always lurking over the elephants.
News & Articles
-
It’s a Mahout Love Story
Oleh Annisa Ruzuar Great news’s coming from Riau. Last Sunday (12/2) two of Flying Squad team ...
-
Standard Operating Procedure for Flying Squad socialized
By: Syamsidar Pekanbaru (29/03)-On 29 March 2010, Standard Operating Procedure for Flying Squad ...
-
Flying Squad Team succeeded in saving an elephant calf
An elephant calf that was trapped with a leg hole snare used to trap pig was successfully cured and ...
-
Flying Squad Team Calm the Anxiety in Palm Oil Plantation
Flying Squad Team's reliability in overcoming conflict between elephant and human has been ...
-
Flying Squad Team Handled Elephants Attack with Canon and Good Understanding
After three day struggle, WWF's Flying Squad team succeeded to handle elephants' herd attack in ...