Sumatran tigers on brink of extinction

Antara 4 Mar 08;

Banda Aceh (ANTARA News) - The Leuser International Foundation (YLI) said, according to its data, Sumatran tigers (Panthera tigris Sumatrae) still exist in the Leuser ecosystem area (KEL) but they were very endangered.

Poaching and human encroachment on their habitat had pushed the Sumatran tigers to the brink of extinction, Chik Rini, a YLI spokesperson said here on Tuesday.

In 2007, 10 tigers had been caught by local people in Labuhan Haji Timur, Meukek, Samadua and Kluet Timur, in South Aceh district alone, she said.

The residents caught and shot the tigers because the animals had killed 6 people, she said.

Sumatran tigers were the largest terrestrial carnivores in Asia and have a good reproduction capability if they live in favorable condition, she said.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) had put Sumatran tigers in the endangered species category in its Red List of Threatened Species.

During monitoring in 2007, researchers found 142 signs of the Sumatran tiger`s presence in the Leuser ecosystem area, consisting of 53 signs found in South Aceh District, 67 signs in Southeast Asia, 18 in Gayo Lues District and four signs in East Aceh, she said.

The 142 signs included four scratches of Sumatran tigers, 51 heaps of excrement, 40 foot prints, a piece of leftover food , one direct encounter. (*)