RHINO SURVEY AND MONITORING OF ILLEGAL ACTIVITIES IN THE LEUSER ECOSYSTEM

The Leuser International Foundation (LIF) is currently in the process of conducting a Sumatran rhino  (Decerorhinus sumatrensis)  habitat and population survey in the districts of South Aceh and Southeast Aceh in collaboration with the Mount Leuser National Park Agency (BBTNGL) and the Indonesian Rhino Foundation (YABI). This activity, funded by US Fish and Wildlife Service, began in February 2011.

Signs or evidence of the presence of the Sumatran rhino in the  form of tracks, dirt, wallows and remains of its feed have been detected.  To follow up on this finding the LIF team in cooperation with BBTNGL are currently setting up camera traps in the Sumatran rhino habitat area.

The results obtained through this survey will form a basis for future Sumatran rhino protection programs in the Leuser Ecosystem.  Besides observing the rhino habitat and population, the monitoring of illegal activities in the Mount Leuser National Park area is also being done. These illegal activities include poaching, illegal logging, encroachment and the stealing of aloe timber by locals in the rhino habitat area.

Photos of Activities :
	Tracks of the Sumatran Rhino found in the Leuser Ecosystem area
	Feces of the Sumatran Rhino found in the Leuser Ecosystem area
	Feed remains of the Sumatran Rhino found in the Leuser Ecosystem area
	Members of the Sumatran rhino habitat and population survey team consisting of staff from LIF, BBTNGL, YABI and members of the local community
	A YABI staff member shares with the team the techniques to record data of findings on the Sumatran rhino in the Leuser Ecosystem area.
	While conducting a social economic survey around Lembah Mamas the LIF team found 2 ha of land being encroached in the Sumatran rhino habitat area.  This will decrease the rhino habitat area in the  Leuser Ecosystem.
	Aloewood loggers’ camp discovered by the Sumatran rhino habitat survey team.  The team found a total of 34 camps from February to October 2011.
	Hidden cameras set up by the LIF and BBTNGL survey team detected the illegal activities of aloewood loggers 19 times from 8 September to 14 October 2011 in the Sumatran rhino habitat area
	A bird trap found by the survey team in the Sumatran rhino habitat area.  A total of 6 bird traps were found from February to October 2011.

Besides doing the Sumatran rhino survey, the LIF team also monitors wildlife trade around the  Leuser Ecosystem area.  At the moment the LIF team is monitoring wildlife trade including the sale of parts of  the body.  On 5 November 2011, the LIF team succeeded in finding a place where parts of the dead body of the Sumatran tiger and the Sumatran elephant are stored for sale by poachers and illegal traders at Desa Buah Pala in the subdistrict of Lawe Sumur, Southeast Aceh district.The photos shown below were taken by one of the  LIF staff posing as a potential buyer.  The bones of the wildlife remains in storage weighed approximately 160 kg.  According to the plan, these illegal items would be taken to a selling place in Medan. Further investigation by the team is currently underway.