Antara 12 May 11;
Bengkulu (ANTARA News) - The Sumatran Tiger (Panthera Tigris Sumatrae) in Bengkulu province is on the brink of extinction due human activities harming their habitats, an official said.
Bengkulu Province`s Natural Resources Conservation Chief Amon Zamora said here Thursday that there are only 50 tigers left in the area covering six districts where massive logging activities harmed their habitats.
The tiger are found in Seluma, Kaur, Central Bengkulu, North Bengkulu, Muko-muko and Lebong districts, Amon said.
The tigers often appeared in residential areas in the rain forest border often killed livestock.
Often their appearance near the residential areas also threatens and attacks people working in their farms.
In the meantime these wild animals are also often trapped and hunted in Bengkulu by the local residents for their skin and body parts, he said.
"Tigers will appear only after their habitats are damaged, and we therefore told the local people not to damage the rainforests," he said.
One of the main hurdles in reducing hunting the endangered species in Bengkulu province is the lack of forestry police not properly covering, he said.
"We have proposed to recruit more guards in overcoming the matter to the Forestry Ministry, so efforts of preserving the forests and tigers is optimized," he said.
Amon is optimist that the poaching of the Sumatran tigers could be reduced by increasing the number of forestry police, and conservation will also continue to enhance cooperation with the police to reduce the hunting of tiger.
Previously, in early March 2011 the Bengkulu conservation authority caught a female Sumatran tiger that roamed the Talang Baris Village, Seluma district, Bengkulu Province.
The tiger has killed 22 goats and also attacked the farmers on February 22, 2011.
The captured two meters long and 79 centimeters high tigers were treated by the conservation`s medical personnel and sent to the Rescue Center run by the Lampung Tambling Wildlife Nature Conservation (TWNC) in South Bukit Barisan National Park.
(A050)
Editor: Bambang
