Illegal hunters seriously hinder wildlife surveys
Antara 30 Aug 10;
Bengkulu (ANTARA News) - The presence of illegal hunters have become a serious hindrance to conservationists in Bengkulu Province who conduct surveys of endangered species, including Sumatran tigers (Phantera Tigris Sumatrae).
Chairman of Bengkulu Province`s Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA) Andi Basrah said here Monday that two suspected hunters had recently been arrested while selling preserved tigers.
The suspects admitted that they got the preserved tigers through hunting activities by using such tools as trap nets and baits, he said.
It was not difficult to hunt Sumatran tigers now because they could be found near villages as a result of their damaged natural habitat, he said.
Basrah said the total population of Sumatran tigers was expected to reach 400 but it was not easy to conduct a survey to find out the current population of these big cats partly due to limited budgets.
Besides huge fund, the survey should also be supported by competent human resources, he said adding that illegal hunters were threatening the habitats of such endangered animals as the Sumatran tiger, elephant, and bear.
Spokesman of Bengkulu Province`s BKSDA, Supatono, recently said the precise number of Sumatran tigers in the province was not known partly because of lack of supporting facilities and competent human resources.
The Sumatran tigers` tracks could only be detected after locals reported about those wild animals, he said.
Residents of three villages in Maje sub-district, Kaur district, had recently been shocked by the coming of several Sumatran tigers.
After conservationists had studied the causing factors, it was found that three villages` areas were part of the Sumatran tigers` habitat, Supatono said.
The hungry tigers were also reported to have attacked some villagers` goats and dogs, he said.
About the government`s efforts to increase the population of Sumatran tigers from 400 to 800 by 2012, he said this ambition remained challenged by some unfavorable factors.
The factors were, among others, poor habitat, insufficient food, and poor surveillance of illegal hunting activities, he said.
In handling those illegal hunters, a comprehensive task force involving forest rangers, police and military apparatuses, environmentalists, and conservationists, was needed, he said.(*)
