Sumatran elephant Diego dies at Minas training centre, Riau

Siak Regency, Riau · Published 1 October 2026 · PanduanHewan editorial team

Summary

What you need to know

Sumatran elephant Diego, a 17-year-old tame male, died at the Minas Elephant Training Centre (PLG Minas) in Siak Regency, Riau, at midday on 16 September 2026 after several days of intensive care by vets from the Riau conservation agency (BBKSDA Riau). A necropsy pointed to a chronic digestive-tract infection; organ samples are still being tested. He was the second elephant to die at PLG Minas in six weeks, after Jovi on 3 August.

Date of death: Wednesday 16 September 2026, 12.00 WIB (UTC+7) source ↗
Age and origin: Male, 17, born at PLG Minas on 3 September 2009 source ↗
Suspected cause: Chronic digestive-tract infection (necropsy finding; laboratory tests pending) source ↗
Elephant deaths in Riau, 2026: Diego was the fifth case this year, according to Riau Pos source ↗
IUCN status: Sumatran elephant: Critically Endangered source ↗
Legal protection: Protected: P.106/2018 annex entry 51 (Elephas maximus) source ↗

What happened to Diego the elephant?

According to a Ministry of Forestry press release of 16 September 2026, Diego fell ill on 10 September with loose dung and a poor appetite. Vets found worms in his dung, diagnosed a worm infection and treated him intensively.

He improved within days, and a follow-up dung test at a laboratory in Pekanbaru was negative for worms. On 15 September, however, his mahout reported him ill again: he refused all food, had watery diarrhoea, was very weak and drank only a few mouthfuls all day.

Vets gave him intravenous fluids, vitamins and anti-inflammatories. On 16 September, as they prepared to draw blood on the second day of treatment, Diego suddenly sat down and collapsed. He was declared dead at 12.00.

Ujang Holisudin, acting head of BBKSDA Riau, said the necropsy pointed to a chronic digestive-tract infection. Organ samples were sent for laboratory confirmation and the body was buried according to procedure.

Who was Diego, and what is PLG Minas?

Diego was born at PLG Minas on 3 September 2009 to Vera and Reno, so he never lived in the wild. BBKSDA Riau said he was one of the elephants that greeted visitors.

PLG Minas, in Siak Regency, is run by BBKSDA Riau. Its tame elephants also help to manage wild herds; in November 2025 two were deployed to help fit a GPS collar to a wild elephant. According to a 2002 study published by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the government set up six such centres on Sumatra from 1985 onwards to resolve conflict and conserve elephants.

Sources: Kabar Duka dari PLG Minas: Gajah Binaan "Diego" Tutup Usia pada umur 17 Tahun (Siaran Pers SP.533/HKLN/09/2026) ↗ · BKSDA: Seekor gajah jinak mati di Riau akibat gangguan pencernaan ↗ · Cegah Konflik Manusia dan Gajah, BBKSDA Riau Gunakan Teknologi GPS Collar ↗ · The care and management of domesticated elephants in Sumatra, Indonesia (in: Giants on our hands) ↗

How many elephants have died in Riau in 2026?

Riau Pos counted Diego as the fifth elephant death in Riau this year. A 40-year-old wild male was found dead without his tusks in a concession area in Pelalawan on 2 February; a five-year-old wild calf was found dead in a snare in Tesso Nilo National Park on 26 February; and the tame elephant Indro, 45, died in Tesso Nilo on 29 June after sedation.

The fourth was at PLG Minas. Jovi, a male of about 46 who had lived there since 18 February 1998, died on 3 August 2026 after 34 days of treatment. The ministry said infections of his digestive and upper respiratory tracts led to severe muscle weakness (myopathy). Jovi had helped to defuse many clashes between people and wild elephants.

Nationally, The Jakarta Post reported on 15 August 2026 that at least 12 Sumatran elephants had died since the start of the year, seven in the wild and five in captivity.

Sources: Gajah Diego Mati di PLG Minas, Kematian Gajah Kelima di Riau Sepanjang 2026 ↗ · Kabar Duka dari PLG Minas: Gajah Binaan "Jovi" Tutup Usia Setelah 34 Hari Perawatan Intensif (Siaran Pers SP.367/HKLN/08/2026) ↗ · Three Sumatran elephants die in two weeks in Aceh, Riau ↗

Is palm-frond feed linked to the deaths of Jovi and Diego?

There is no evidence of a link so far. Because both elephants had digestive problems, questions have been raised about their diet. On 24 September 2026 Ujang Holisudin, who also heads BBKSDA Riau's technical division, confirmed that oil-palm fronds are among the supplementary foods at PLG Minas, with banana fronds, maize stalks and added sugar, rice, bran and salt.

He said the main diet comes from supervised grazing; palm fronds are given in the evening before the elephants are tethered for the night.

An elephant-welfare campaigner called for a review of the practice, while stressing that the fronds cannot be named as a cause of death. Diego's laboratory results will be an important clue.

Sources: Dua Gajah PLG Minas Mati dengan Gangguan Pencernaan, Pakan Pelepah Sawit Diminta Dievaluasi ↗ · BBKSDA Riau: Pelepah Sawit Diberikan Sebelum Gajah Istirahat Malam ↗ · Kabar Duka dari PLG Minas: Gajah Binaan "Diego" Tutup Usia pada umur 17 Tahun (Siaran Pers SP.533/HKLN/09/2026) ↗

What health risks do elephants in training centres face?

Captive elephants depend entirely on their keepers for food, water and veterinary care. A 2019 study from Way Kambas National Park, in Veterinary World, describes nematode worms as the most numerous and damaging parasites of elephants; most live in the gut, and infection can cause anaemia, inflammation and even death, especially in young animals.

Another threat is elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus (EEHV). A 2021 study recorded as many as a dozen fatal cases of acute haemorrhagic disease in young captive-born Sumatran elephants. On 11 August 2026 the calf Yuna died at PLG Saree in Aceh, with EEHV suspected.

Welfare has also reached policy: on 18 December 2025 the ministry's conservation directorate general (KSDAE) issued Circular SE.6/2025, ending elephant rides at conservation institutions on animal-welfare grounds.

Sources: Morphology and morphometry of adult nematodes on Sumatran elephants (Elephas maximus sumatranus) in Way Kambas National Park area, Indonesia ↗ · Identification of two lethal cases of elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus haemorrhagic disease in Sumatran elephant calves in Indonesia (abstract) ↗ · Kematian Gajah Yuna, BKSDA Aceh Perkuat Deteksi Dini Serangan Virus EEHV pada Gajah Anakan (siaran pers) ↗ · Kemenhut resmi larang atraksi gajah tunggang secara nasional ↗

Is the Sumatran elephant protected, and how many are left?

Yes. The Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) is entry 51 in the annex to Ministerial Regulation P.106/2018 on protected species. Law No. 5 of 1990, as amended by Law No. 32 of 2024, bans hunting, killing, keeping or trading protected animals or their parts; after the adjustment by Law No. 1 of 2026, the maximum penalty is 15 years in prison and/or a category VII fine (Rp5 billion). Cruelty is covered separately by Article 337 of the Criminal Code, in force since 2 January 2026; none has been alleged in Diego's case.

IUCN assessed the Asian elephant as Endangered in 2020 and lists the Sumatran subspecies as Critically Endangered. Ministry data quoted by ANTARA put the population at about 1,100 in 21 habitat pockets as of July 2026, down from 2,400–2,800 in 42 pockets in 2007. The 2026–2036 elephant conservation strategy (SRAK), launched on 12 August 2026, uses higher estimates, quoted by Mongabay as 1,320–1,635 and 1,365–1,719.

Sources: Permen LHK P.106/MENLHK/SETJEN/KUM.1/12/2018 tentang Jenis Tumbuhan dan Satwa yang Dilindungi (lampiran) ↗ · UU No. 32 Tahun 2024 tentang Perubahan atas UU No. 5 Tahun 1990 tentang Konservasi Sumber Daya Alam Hayati dan Ekosistemnya ↗ · UU No. 1 Tahun 2026 tentang Penyesuaian Pidana, Lampiran I no. 183 (UU 32/2024 Pasal 40A ayat (1)) ↗ · UU No. 1 Tahun 2023 tentang Kitab Undang-Undang Hukum Pidana (berlaku 2 Januari 2026) ↗ · Elephas maximus, Asian Elephant: IUCN Red List assessment (Williams et al. 2020) ↗ · World Elephant Day 2026: Indonesia's fight to save its elephants ↗ · Only 1,325-1,648 wild elephants left in Indonesia, government says ↗ · Berapa Populasi Gajah Sumatera? Estimasi Terbaru Sekitar 1.365-1.719 Individu ↗

What happens next

BBKSDA Riau is awaiting laboratory results on Diego's organ samples; samples from Jovi are also being tested.
Questions about supplementary feed, including palm fronds, remain open; campaigners want a review after two deaths at PLG Minas.
The 2026–2036 elephant strategy (SRAK), which guides Presidential Instruction No. 8 of 2026, includes a programme for captive (ex-situ) elephants.

How to help

Report wild elephants entering farms or villages to the local BKSDA and leave the response to officers.
At elephant centres, follow staff instructions and do not ask for rides; the ministry ended elephant-ride shows at conservation institutions in December 2025.
If you see practices that harm elephant welfare, report them to the BKSDA or the Ministry of Forestry.
Do not buy ivory or elephant parts; report offers to the forestry law-enforcement directorate (Gakkum) at pengaduan.gakkum.kehutanan.go.id.

Support from outside Indonesia

If you live outside Indonesia and want to fund this work, you can help elephants with World Animal Rescue Network.

Related site: PanduanHewan’s founder is also a director of World Animal Rescue Network. PanduanHewan itself does not accept donations, and this invitation is not directed at people in Indonesia.

Common questions

Where is PLG Minas, the Minas Elephant Training Centre?

PLG Minas is in Siak Regency, Riau province, and is managed by the Riau conservation agency (BBKSDA Riau) under the Ministry of Forestry.

Source: BKSDA: Seekor gajah jinak mati di Riau akibat gangguan pencernaan ↗

What did Diego the elephant die of?

The necropsy pointed to a chronic digestive-tract infection. Worms were suspected at first, but a later dung test was negative. Organ samples are still being analysed.

Source: Kabar Duka dari PLG Minas: Gajah Binaan "Diego" Tutup Usia pada umur 17 Tahun (Siaran Pers SP.533/HKLN/09/2026) ↗

What illness did Jovi the elephant have?

According to the ministry, digestive and upper respiratory infections developed into severe muscle weakness (myopathy). His symptoms began on 1 July 2026; he died on 3 August.

Source: Kabar Duka dari PLG Minas: Gajah Binaan "Jovi" Tutup Usia Setelah 34 Hari Perawatan Intensif (Siaran Pers SP.367/HKLN/08/2026) ↗

Are Sumatran elephants protected in Indonesia?

Yes. The Asian elephant is listed in the P.106/2018 annex (entry 51). Killing or trading one can bring up to 15 years in prison and/or a fine of up to Rp5 billion.

Source: Permen LHK P.106/MENLHK/SETJEN/KUM.1/12/2018 tentang Jenis Tumbuhan dan Satwa yang Dilindungi (lampiran) ↗ · UU No. 1 Tahun 2026 tentang Penyesuaian Pidana, Lampiran I no. 183 (UU 32/2024 Pasal 40A ayat (1)) ↗

How many Sumatran elephants are left?

Ministry data quoted by ANTARA put it at about 1,100 in 21 habitat pockets as of July 2026; the 2026–2036 strategy estimates roughly 1,300–1,700 in the wild.

Source: World Elephant Day 2026: Indonesia's fight to save its elephants ↗ · Only 1,325-1,648 wild elephants left in Indonesia, government says ↗

Animals in this story

Forested landscapes in Sumatra