Indonesian government prepares preservation for Sumatra Tigers

Antara 28 Aug 10;

Bengkulu (ANTARA News) - In dealing with Sumatran tiger attacks to housing complexes in Sumatra island, the Forestry Ministry planned to move the endangered species to three national parks, an official said.

"We have prepared three national parks as new home to the tigers," Director General of Conservatory Forest`s Security, Darori, said here on Saturday after attending the release of a previously captured Sumatran tiger to the Bukit Barisan Selatan national park area.

Darori said the three new habitats for the existing Sumatran tiger were Kerinci Seblat national park (Jambi province), Gunung Leuser national park (Aceh province) and Bukit Barisan Selatan national park (Lampung province).

He said the three parks covered a vast areas about 2 million hectares in average that the tigers would not have food shortage. Sufficient food, Darori said, would avoid the tigers from trying to enter people`s house to look for something to eat.

Previously, the Forestry Minister Zulkifli Hasan said Indonesia which was known as a mega biodiversity country had recently witnessed a shrink in the population of its rare species due to deforestation.

He said the number of Indonesia`s endangered animals such as Sumatran tigers, Javanese rhinoceroses, and orangutans has dwindled because of deforestation activities conducted by the private sector as well as local communities.

The minister said the number of Sumatran tigers which was 800 heads in 2005, now is only around 400, while the Javanese tiger has totally become extinct.

The population of Sumatran elephants, which was 8,000 heads in 2000, now is only 2,000, and rhinoceros, which was about 40-50, is around 60 heads currently.

In order to help preserve the rare species, the forestry ministry has planned to develop 30 million hectares areas into forest conservation ones, according to the minister.

The ministry has also launched primary forests covering 43 million hectares, he said.
"These (primary) forests could not be converted into other purposes and it should be declared moratorium," he said.

Sumatran Tiger has rehabilitation in Lampung
Antara 28 Aug 10;

Bengkulu, Sumatra (ANTARA News) - A Sumatran tiger (Panthera Tigris Sumatrae), called Mekar, will undergo rehabilitation at Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park in Lampung Province.

Mekar was flown on a Cassa aircraft from Benkulu to Tambling in Lampung on Saturday morning for rehabilitation after having a treatment for more than one month at Bengkulu`s Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA).

"The tiger will have rehabilitation at Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park after being treated for more than a month at BKSDA in Bengkulu," Directorate General of Forest and Natural Conservation (PHKA) spokesman Daroni said here on Saturday.

He said the future of Mekar was more promising in the 45-hectare national park in Tambling, Lampung, which was supported by Arta Graha group of business tycoon Tommy Winata.

A day earlier before being flown to Tambling, Mekar`s health condition was checked by a medical team from BKSDA and Indonesia Safari Garden.

Daroni said the two-year old tiger is 185 centimeters long, 77 centimeters tall, and weighs 63 kg.

"We have made an overall check to the tiger to examine its blood, heart, and physical condition and we found that it has been fit enough to undergo rehabilitation in Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park," BKSDA veterinarian Erniyanti Musabine said.

BKSDA team from Bengkulu caught the tiger on July 11, 2010 at Mekar Jaya village in Seluma district, Jambi, and called it Mekar.

When the tiger was caught, it was suffering from dehydration, so the team had it treated by BKSDA.