Audio slide show: Meet the Flying Squad
A herd of tamed elephants patrols a national park in Indonesia like jungle Guardian Angels.
Produced by Marc Martin
This feature requires that JavaScript be enabled and the Flash plug-in be installed.
In many nations, dwindling forests have brought deadly conflict between man and animal. On the Indonesian island of Sumatra, rampaging elephants have long been shot or poisoned by officials or vengeful property owners. But now trainers are deploying the Flying Squad, a herd of tamed elephants, to run off the intruders and get them to return to their sanctuary, where lethal encounters with humans are far less likely.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.