Elephant kills farmer in Indonesia–official

BANDA ACEH– An elephant killed a rubber tapper in Indonesia’s Aceh province, the third such fatal incident there in the past three months, an official said Friday.

Abdul Halim, 52, and his wife were working in their plantation in West Aceh district on Thursday when a Sumatran elephant “suddenly appeared and attacked them”, district official Mursalin Abdullah said.

“His wife managed to escape, screaming for help. When she returned with other villagers, he was dead.”

The elephant disembowelled the farmer with its tusk, the official said.

There are at most 3,350 Sumatran elephants remaining in the wild, according to environmental group WWF.

Conflicts between humans and animals are increasing in Indonesia as people encroach on forest habitats.