Poachers' Poison Slays Rare Elephant

Giant male ate spiked pineapples
By Mary Papenfuss,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 15, 2009 3:39 AM CDT
Poachers' Poison Slays Rare Elephant
Conservationists and officials inspect the carcass of an elephant near Pekanbaru, Riau province, Sumatra island.    (AP Photo)

A rare Sumatran elephant died after eating pineapples spiked with poison by poachers in northwestern Indonesia, officials report. The giant 30-year-old male, its tusks ripped out for the ivory, was the ninth Sumatran elephant found dead in the region in the last three months. At least seven of them were poisoned in some manner. Only 3000 of the animals exist in nature.
(More elephant stories.)

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