Bogor, W Java, Aug. 16 -- For conservationists in Indonesia, August was supposed to be a month of independence and hope. Instead, the deaths of three Sumatran elephants in Aceh have underscored how fragile conservation efforts remain to save the endangered species.

The deaths came as Indonesia intensified efforts to preserve the Sumatran elephant, a subspecies found only on Sumatra and classified as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

The first case emerged Sunday, Aug. 9, when residents found a dead Sumatran elephant in an oil palm plantation in Kaloy Village, Tamiang Hulu Subdistrict, East Aceh District.

Teuku Irmansyah, head of Conservation Region I at the Aceh Natural Resources Conser...