Natural Feed Options for Sumatran Elephants at the Seblat Elephant Training Center North Bengkulu Regency, Indonesia

Abstract

The health and welfare of Sumatran elephants at the Seblat Elephant Training Center (SETC), North Bengkulu Regency, depend on many environmental factors in their habitat, one of which is the availability of a variety of plant species (diet) in the Seblat Nature Tourism Park (SNTP) forest area. Research on this matter was conducted in May-June 2022 within the SNTP forest area, where the Seblat SETC facility is located. This study aimed to evaluate the dietary preferences of Sumatran elephants at SETC towards natural plant species in the SNTP forest. The "Focal Animal Sampling" method was used to measure the duration of feeding activity of each elephant on specific plant species while they were foraging in the forest. The elephants' preferences for plant species were analyzed quantitatively, while the types of plants consumed by the elephants were described qualitatively. The research found that 15 families with 33 species were identified as the natural food plants for the SETC elephants in Bengkulu. The Poaceae family was most preferred by the elephants with the highest preference value (35.07%), followed by Fabaceae (31.73%), Malvaceae (9.87%), and Cyperaceae (7.83%), while the least preferred were Costaceae, and Myrtaceae (0.33% respectively), Convolvulaceae (0.41%), and Selaginellaceae (0.73%). Based on sex, adult male elephants preferred Fabaceae plants such as Mimosa pudica (35.99%), Desmodium triflorum (11.66%), Mimosa invisa (7.36%), Cynodon dactylon (6.54%) over other families. Conversely, adult female elephants preferred Poaceae such as Leersia virginica Willd., Cyrtococcum patens (L.) A., Centhotheca lappacea Desvaux., Digitaria sanguinalis (L.) Scop., and Imperata cylindrica L. patients. These predictors, however, need further work to validate reliability.