Brandal is my name. I am a Sumatran elephant that lives in Riau Province. I'm about 15 years old, big, agile and strong, I'm adventurous in my search for identity and territory. Maybe that's the reason humans named me "the Brandal"

I come from the elephant enclave of Giam Siak Kecil, Bengkalis Regency, Riau. It was my home and where I was raised by my mother and other siblings. As I grew up I began to feel my first puberty and at that time I began to move away from my group and separate myself from my mother and other siblings. That was the cycle of our lives.

As I walked and began my adventure, I entered the Buatan-Siak area, and continued my journey towards the Chevron-Rumbai complex. I first appeared at Gate II of Chevron-Rumbai, on July 14, 2015 at around 11:01:30 p.m. I broke a palm tree planted by the roadside. I stayed here for 2 days and 2 nights.

In this Chevron forest I was also uncomfortable and I continued my journey and arrived at Lake Buatan-Rumbai. When I was at Lake Buatan-Rumbai there was also not much food, only shrubs. I walked again, finally arriving in the Kulim -Pekanbaru area. In Kulim I was always chased by humans and became a spectacle by humans. I also walked between human housing there was no food and no place for me to stay. It was here that I was first captured by Sengarun and Indah (tame elephants) who were brought in by officers from the Riau Natural Resources Conservation Center from the Elephant Training Center -Minas. Finally, I was taken and released back to the Arara Abadi HTI concession in Duri, on July 24, 2015.

One day in April 2016, I resumed my adventure. I passed through many settlements and villages. The villages I passed were Selodang, Muara Kelantan, Lubuk Jering, Olak, Suluk Bongkal, Lingkar Naga, Siak district. From all the villages I passed through I only ate palm tubers and banana trees so that I could live, in these villages I passed through I was always driven away, antagonized, shouted at, thrown and even hurt by humans, even though I did not disturb and hurt them.

Because I was always kicked out and bullied by humans, I kept walking and arrived back at Lake Buatan- Pekanbaru for the second time. Why? Because I was still looking for my territory, and my power. There too I was driven away by humans. Fortunately, there were bushes and swamps where I could hide from human intrusion and take shelter from the hot sun. But where I rested there was no food for my big stomach, so I had to go out and eat palm oil and papaya so that my big stomach would be refilled and I could survive.

I stayed here for 4 days. For the safety of the community, BBKSDA Riau Police officers and WWF evacuated the community from their homes temporarily because elephants were always pacing around their homes. Many people here have dogs and always bark at me. Elephants don't like the sound of dogs. Not far from that location there is a papaya garden, to survive I eat these papayas, about 20 papaya trees.

Because I was constantly harassed and chased away by humans, it made me uncomfortable to live there, so I finally left. I passed through Danau Buatan, Okura, Bokum, Garingging, Kampung Gudang, crossed the Minas- Perawang causeway, then I entered the forest owned by Arara Abadi and RAPP.

In the Arara Abadi and RAPP Industrial Plantation Forest concession in Siak, I did not last long, because there was not much food to fill my large stomach, I walked and finally arrived at the oil palm plantation, because I was hungry I ate some sawiti trees. I walked again and finally arrived at Merempan Hulu-Siak, where I was harassed by humans. Because I was restless and confused, I chased the humans and as a result I entered a canal made by humans. Inside this canal, I had difficulty moving because the canal was quite deep, and I was trapped for almost 3 hours. In my confusion, I was watched, photographed and shouted at by humans. Some of them stopped their morning activities just to watch me. I walked slowly inside the canal for 1 kilometer looking for a place to go up.

With great effort, I finally made it out of the canal at 10 a.m. on March 9, 2016. From inside the canal, I entered the bush. I stayed, resting, hiding there until the afternoon to gather my strength. After the afternoon, I began to step out and continue my adventure, this time crossing a river that was deep enough to get away from humans. But I was already surrounded by houses and farms.

At 02.00 at dawn, I managed to get out of the human siege, and continued my journey to Rawang Air Putih Village and finally I got to Siak city, precisely in the forest behind the DPRD-Siak office I was confused why there was no forest anymore for me to find food and shelter, this used to be a forest and a place for me to play, but now it has changed. I decided to stay in the forest before continuing my journey in the afternoon through deep peat and human-owned palm oil plantations. I arrived at package I, package J, package K, and Sabak Au Village.

I hid and rested in a rubber plantation, stayed there, and in the afternoon walked again and crossed the Linau River. Then, I entered a palm oil plantation with neglected bushes, stayed and rested there, and in the afternoon I walked again and arrived at the palm oil plantation of PT. SURYA DUMAI. There was no place for me to rest and eat. And finally I entered the Giak Siam Kecil forest to rest, eat and stay away from humans, this is where I live. The condition of this GSK forest is very good and comfortable for me to live in but with the depth of the peat swamp, it makes me not free to walk, move and look for food.

The GSK pocket is within APP and APRIL's Industrial Plantation Forest concessions, and there are only acacia and eucalyptus. This area is very potential for elephants to survive and thrive because of the abundant food sources, and the safety level for elephants is also very good. But there are also encroachers within the concession, which has become quite a nuisance. People who encroach on APP and APRIL's Industrial Plantation Forests plant oil palms, which are directly adjacent to APP and APRIL's Industrial Plantation Forests. Their oil palm plantations are also often eaten by elephants.

There are frequent conflicts between elephants and humans in the vicinity of APP's concession (Duri II) such as Tasik Serai Village, Serai Wangi, Suluk Bongkal Hamlet, Beringin, Koto Pait, Melibur, Cimandak Hamlet, and West Serai Wangi, (Duri I), Bencah Umbai, Lubuk Umbut, Tasik Betung, Melibur, East Tasik Serai. Around APRIL's concessions such as Desa, Olak, Selodang, Muara Kelantan, Lubuk Jering, Seluk Bungkal, in these locations elephants are considered pests by migrant communities, not a few elephants died in the area. Some people use poison, spears, snares to kill and injure elephants. On the other hand, access to the concession is also not strictly guarded by the company, which causes poachers to freely enter the Industrial Plantation Forest of the two companies.

After a few days of surviving in the peat with my tired condition with very little food, I stepped into Siak City. On April 26, 2016, I was at a gas station not far from Siak City. Behind the gas station there was a very lush bush where I stayed and rested. And in the evening I walked to the forest behind the Siak DPRD office.
It turns out that the authorities have a decision and of course I hope with careful consideration to determine my fate. On the evening of April 27, 2016, I was tranquilized by BBKSDA-Riau officers. I was then escorted to the Elephant Training Center in Minas. This seemed to be the end of my adventure, stopping here. And I have a new name "GIAM" my new name is a gift from the Regent of Siak.