BKSDA Bali Head Ratna Hendratmoko said in Denpasar on Thursday that Bali had 13 conservation centers as of the end of 2025, five of which manage a total of 83 Sumatran elephants (Elephas maximus sumatranus).
He said the agency has instructed all conservation centers to comply with the directive and ensure animal welfare standards are upheld across the province.
BKSDA Bali will also intensify monitoring to enforce the suspension of elephant riding programs, Hendratmoko said.
“We are committed to continuously supervising implementation of the directive and reminding conservation centers to fully comply,” he added.
The warning follows the issuance of Circular No. 6 of 2025, dated December 18, 2025, by the Ministry of Forestry’s Directorate General of Natural Resources and Ecosystem Conservation, which formally ended elephant riding activities at conservation centers nationwide.
The circular reflects the government’s effort to strengthen ethical wildlife management and conservation-based practices, Hendratmoko said.
With the program’s cessation, conservation centers are encouraged to replace riding attractions with educational activities that promote conservation and animal welfare principles.
Elephant riding contradicts protection and welfare standards, Hendratmoko said, noting that the Sumatran elephant is a protected species listed as critically endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.
“In managing elephants, conservation centers must prioritize animal welfare at all times,” he added.
The Indonesian government has listed Sumatran elephants among the critically endangered mammals in the country.
As per figures published on the official website of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the population of Sumatran elephants is estimated to be about 2,400–2,800 individuals.
The world’s leading organization on wildlife conservation and endangered species has said that ivory can still be found in markets around Africa and Asia, as well as in the United States and Europe.
The WWF has noted that poaching for the illegal ivory trade remains a serious threat to the lives of wild elephants in several countries.
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Translator: Dewa KSW, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Anton Santoso
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