Residents living close to the Semidang Bukit Kabu protected forest in the Seluma regency have reported the death of a Sumatran tiger. Inspection of the body shows that the animal had been trapped in a snare.
The Seluma police chief said they received a report from 38 year old Ridwan Fauzi who discovered the body whilst on his way home from collecting umbut (palm shoots) in the forest.
The team who inspected the body said that it was bloated and estimated it had been there for several days.
A sweep of the area around the tiger revealed further wire snares, some of which had been baited with pork. The snares have been removed and officials initially took the body for post mortem but then buried it due to the level of decay.
Sumatran tigers are critically endangered, with around 500 animals remaining in the wild. Habitat loss and poaching of the tigers’ prey species has led to an increase in human-tiger conflict in Sumatra.
A Wild Life 