Nurdin Hasan Jakarta Globe 26 Oct 09;
Banda Aceh. A Sumatran tiger injured after being ensnared in a trap set by villagers in Aceh died on Monday as veterinarians prepared to amputate one of the highly endangered animal’s legs.
The chief of Aceh’s Natural Resources Conservation Agency, Abubakar Chek Mat, said that the 5-year-old female tiger was in a weak condition after it was captured by villagers in a remote part of southern Aceh on Wednesday.
“It was in critical condition when it was brought to Banda Aceh last Saturday,” Abubakar told the Jakarta Globe. “Its front and back legs were badly injured.”
On Monday, the animal was taken to Syiah Kuala University’s Veterinary School for treatment.
Veterinarians at the school are conducting an autopsy on the rare tiger, Abubakar said.
The tiger, one of fewer than 150 Sumatran tigers left in the wild, according to a survey conducted two years ago, was a target of local residents angered because it had been threatening their cattle.
Abubakar acknowledged the complaints and said his agency had dispatched an animal trainer to the area to monitor the situation and assist villagers in coping with tiger problems.
He said that illegal logging was at the root of the problem because the disappearing forest cover destroyed the natural habitat of tigers and other wild animals, including the endangered Sumatran elephant.
“The conflict between men and animals comes because the forests have been turned into plantations and the tigers and elephants come to residential areas looking for food,” Abubakar said.
Abubakar urged concerted action to find a solution. “People and businesses must commit to protect the forest,” he said. “The Forestry Agency must be strict and stop allowing illegal logging to continue in Aceh.”
The conservation agency is currently holding two other tigers captured by villagers in the province, although both are in good condition and have been with the agency for a long time, Abubakar said.
“I’m still waiting for word from the Aceh governor about what will we do with them,” he said. “If we let them go back to the jungle, most likely they won’t be able to adapt.”
Endangered tiger dies in Indonesia: official
Yahoo News 27 Oct 09;
BANDA ACEH, Indonesia (AFP) – A Sumatran tiger trapped by villagers in western Indonesia died on Monday as it was about to have surgery to amputate an injured foot, a wildlife official said.
Provincial conservation agency head Abubakar Chek Mat said the tiger was "very weak," after being trapped in Jambo Apha village in South Aceh regency .
"Villagers trapped it last Wednesday after it ate several of their farm animals. They brought the tiger to us and our doctors were treating it and it seemed to be recovering," he told AFP.
"We took it to a hospital today to amputate its right foot. We laid it on the operating table and it suddenly died."
Around a dozen critically endangered Sumatra tigers have been killed by villagers in Indonesia this year.
Human-animal conflicts are a rising problem in the massive archipelago as forests are destroyed for timber or to make way for palm oil, forcing animals such as elephants and tigers into closer contact with people.
Only about 500 Sumatran tigers are believed to remain in the wild.
"Illegal logging has led to the depletion of forests, which are the tigers' habitat. They are forced to go to the villages to find food," Mat said.
Sumatran tiger dies after surgery
The Jakarta Post 26 Oct 09;
A female Sumatran tiger died on Monday shortly after a surgery to treat a severe leg wound.
Veterinarians from the Syiah Kuala University in the Aceh capital of Banda Aceh told Antara the carnivore was too weak to undergo the surgery, which was conducted on an operational car belonging to the provincial natural resources conservation center.
"It was very weak, making it impossible for us to amputate its wounded foot. But to save its front leg was not possible either," said Munawar Kholis, veterinarian of the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS).
The tiger was taken to Banda Aceh on Saturday after it was captured by local residents in Jambo Apha village in South Aceh regency with a serious wound to her right foot after it was caught in a pig trap.
Forest conservation experts estimate the population of protected Sumatran tiger in Aceh has dropped to only about 150.
