Endangered Sumatran elephant killing stirs anger

Yongki, an endangered Sumatran elephant from Indonesia, was found dead close to the national park where he lived, said Timbul Batubara, a official at Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park.

The gentle Yongki, 35, who worked with elephant keepers to patrol and help protect threatened wildlife, had his tusks hacked off, according to ABC.

His body was found on Friday and had no bullet wounds but his tongue was blue. Batubara told ABC that it is not yet known how the elephant was killed.

"Comprehensive investigation effort is required by the Authority to identify and seize the killer. Also important to take mitigation action to (avoid) another incident in the future," Anwar Purwoto, director of Sumatra-Borneo WWF Indonesia said.

According to WWF, an initial investigation by the vet shows that the cause of death is poison or anesthetic. "By recommendation of the veterinary, Yongki's corpse has already burned to avoid possible spread of diseases," WWF reported on Sept. 22.

Folks on Twitter were outraged by the killing, using the hashtag #RIPYongki.