314 EXTINCT AND VANISHING MAMMALS 



property of the State, and therefore a special permit must be ob- 

 tained from the King before an elephant may be killed" (David E. 

 Kaufman, in litt., March 8, 1933). 



Suiiiatrun Elephant 



ELEPHAS MAXIMUS SUMATRANUS Temminck 



Elephas Sumatranus Temminck, Coup-d'oeil Possessions Neerlandaises, vol. 2, 



p. 91, 1847. ("Sumatra.") 

 FIGS.: Lydekker, 1916, vol. 5, p. 83, fig. 24; Pieters, 1932, p. 58, fig. 



This Elephant, while still existing in considerable numbers in 

 Sumatra, is evidently losing ground in contact with cultivation, and 

 concern is felt over its future. 



It is said to be characterized by its small size, its tessellated 

 skin, the pyriform shape of its ear, and the infolding of the posterior 

 edge of the ear (Lydekker, 1916, vol. 5, p. 84) . 



Sumatra is the only part of the Malay Archipelago that has pos- 

 sessed a native stock of Elephants within historic times. Those now 

 found in Borneo are considered descendants of domesticated indi- 

 viduals introduced from the Malay Peninsula (Mjoberg, 1930, 

 pp. 15-16). 



In 1906 W. L. Abbott (in Lyon, 1908, p. 622) saw many trails in 

 eastern Sumatra opposite Pulo Rupat. 



Only mature males may be hunted, and the open season may not 

 exceed six successive months. The export of either living specimens 

 or the skins of Elephants is prohibited, and the export of ivory is 

 restricted within certain limits. During the past ten years an 

 average of only 350 kilograms of ivory has been exported annually 

 from the Netherlands Indies. The published value is only 10 to 20 

 guilders a kilo. Animals with very large tusks have disappeared 

 for the most part, and the present average weight of a pair of 

 tusks is estimated at 10 to 12 kilograms. Thus the above-mentioned 

 export figures represent the annual taking of about 35 Elephants. 

 (Dammerman, 1929, pp. 13-14.) 



"The two principal ports to which the ivory is sent, are Singapore 

 and Penang. Much ivory is also carved here locally, so we may 

 suppose that yearly many more elephants are killed than the 35 

 the tusks of which are exported. With the new regulations export 

 of elephant-tusks weighing less than 5 kilograms a piece, is for- 

 bidden." (Dammerman, 1929, p. 14.) 



The same author (in Skottsberg, 1934, p. 422) considers the 

 Sumatran Elephant threatened with extermination. According to 

 Pieters (1932, p. 58), the greatest danger is the encroachment of 

 cultivation on its habitats. 



"There are still some elephants in Langkat District, but not as 



