December 8, 2025 | 11:53 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Aceh Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA) deployed four elephants to support the post-flood cleanup process in Pidie Jaya Regency, Aceh, on Monday, 8 December 2025. Upon arrival, the elephants were used to pull piles of wood and other heavy materials that were swept away by the flash flood at the end of November.
Today's material cleanup focused on Gampong Meunasah Bie in Meurah Dua District. Due to the accumulation of wood and mud, the area was one of the most affected.
"We immediately deployed them (the elephants) to pull large wood and other heavy materials that had piled up due to the flood," said Pidie Jaya Police Criminal Investigation Unit Chief Inspector Police First Commissioner Fauzi Admaja in his written statement.
Pidie Jaya Police Chief Adjunct Senior Commissioner Ahmad Faisal Pasaribu stated that the elephants' arrival aimed to help clean up post-disaster materials and provide psychological support to children affected by the flood.
According to him, the presence of the elephants could bring a cheerful atmosphere. "The presence of the elephants can bring a cheerful atmosphere, reduce tension, and help restore their psychological condition," he said.
In the ecological disaster in Sumatra, the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) reported an increase in fatalities as of Monday, 8 December 2025. Basarnas Chief TNI Air Marshal Mohammad Syafii reported on the number of victims during a working meeting with the House Commission V (DPR).
He stated that the death toll due to the disaster in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra had reached 974 people. "The update as of 08.00 this morning, the total number of confirmed deaths is 974 people," said Syafii at the DPR Complex in Jakarta today.
Meanwhile, 298 people are still missing, and the number of victims who have been evacuated according to Basarnas is 10,957 people, while the survivors are 9,983 people.
Based on emergency handling geoportal data on floods and landslides in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra, as presented by the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), the death toll reached 961 people on Monday afternoon. The death toll in Aceh reached 389, followed by 338 in North Sumatra and 234 in West Sumatra.
Meanwhile, the number of missing persons in the three provinces reached 234. The highest number of missing persons was reported in West Sumatra with 95 people. In Aceh, 62 people were reported missing. In North Sumatra, 77 people were reported missing. The total number of injured people in the three provinces reached 5,000.
Dian Rahma Fika and Eka Yudha Saputra contributed to this article
Read: Way Kambas Welcomes Newborn Sumatran Elephant, Renewing Conservation Hopes
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