Banda Aceh: Indonesian police said they had arrested an elephant hunters in the province of Aceh along with four people who bought ivory from the animal he killed.
The elephant was found without his head on July 11 at the coconut plantation in East Aceh, police said.
Local police work with the conservation center of Aceh resources to investigate death.
“The team found an indication that the elephant had been given poison before being killed.
The team also found the elephant’s head without ivory 300 meters (1,000 feet) left,” said East Aceh Police Chief, Eko Widiantoro told reporters.
The police arrested the suspect on August 10 who claimed to have tried to kill elephants five times since 2017 by poisoning them, but only succeeded twice, including death recently, said Widiantoro.
On July 19, he and a partner poisoned Mangos near the flock of wild elephants and carried out elephants which fell two hours later with ax, he told the police.
Partners are still in process.
The suspect said he sold ivory to someone in East Aceh, who sold it to four buyers in the province of Aceh and West Java.
The last buyer, a craftsman in West Java, made ivory be a dagger and cigarette pipe, Widiantoro said.
All buyers were arrested and detained at the East Aceh Police Station along with hunters, he said.
They face five years in prison and a fine of 100 million rupiah ($ 7,000) if it is found guilty.
In the past seven years, 46 dead elephants have been found in Aceh, the westernmost province of Indonesia.
Many are associated with hunting and illegal conflict with humans.