The Jakarta Post 7 Feb 10;
The Worldwide Fund for Nature predicts that Sumatran tigers (Panthera tigris sumatrae) may by extinct by 2015 due to poaching and loss of habitat.
“Destroyed ecosystems, which hamper the tigers’ ability to reproduce, will likely be an initial cause of the extinction. This condition may occur in the next five years,” Riau-based WWF official Osmantri was quoted as saying by news portal kompas.com on Sunday.
WWF has identified 30 Sumatran tigers, equal to 10 percent of the total animal population in the wild in Sumatra.
Between 1998 and 2009, 46 Sumatran tigers were found dead, mainly form poaching. The number shows that on average, seven tigers are killed each year. (nkn)
