Rare Sumatran tiger rescued from trap in Indonesia

(AFP) Google News 11 Jan 12;

JAKARTA — An endangered Sumatran tiger found with serious arrow wounds all over its body was rescued from a wire trap in protected Indonesian jungle, officials said Tuesday.

The five-year-old male tiger was found on Monday in Bengkulu province on the lush island of Sumatra with nine arrow wounds estimated to be four days old, Bengkulu's conservation agency chief Supartono told AFP.

"When we found him, he was lying weak on the ground with his front left leg held up in the air, entangled in a wire trap attached to a tree branch," Supartono said.

The trap was likely set up by poachers looking to sell the rare animal's body parts on illegal markets, Supartono said.

"They use steel wire to trap it by the leg so it doesn't destroy its body. These traps are designed for tigers, not the wild boars that the community here hunt."

Supartono said it was likely local people had shot the arrows at the tiger out of fear after finding it trapped in the forest.

The conservation agency found several similar traps in the province last year and was working with police to find a suspected group of poachers.

There are fewer than 400 Sumatran tigers left and environmental activists say the animals are increasingly coming into conflict with people as their natural habitat is rapidly deforested.

Earlier this month, Thai customs officials seized four boxes of smuggled tiger skins and bones worth $60,000 believed to be en route from Indonesia to China.

Bangkok-based anti-trafficking group Freeland said that poaching and trafficking of tiger meat, bones and skin was a key cause of a precipitous decline in Asia's wild tiger populations.

Numbers are estimated to have fallen to only 3,200 tigers worldwide, from approximately 100,000 a century ago.

Injured sumatran tiger dies during medical treatment
Antara 14 Jan 12;

Bengkulu (ANTARA News) - A Sumatran tiger injured in a trap in Bengkulu and transferred to Bogor for treatment has died during surgery at the Safari Park Veterinary Hospital in Cisarua, a local nature conservation official said.

The endangered animal died at around noon on Saturday while being treated in intensive care by a team of veterinarians, said Amon Zamora, head of Bengkulu`s Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA).

The tiger sustained serious injuries in many parts of its body after falling into a trap in the protected Gedang Hulu Lais forest area in Lebong district. Locals who had found the trapped animal had apparently tried to kill it with spears.

But the tiger survived the locals` assaults until it was rescued and evacuated to Bengkulu city by BKSDA personnel and police.

After it was taken to the office of Bengkulu`s BKSDA it was still able to eat and drink but the agency lacked the needed medical knowhow and equipment to treat its wounds. The situation was reported to the Forestry Ministry which eventually ordered the tiger to be transferred to Jakarta by plane last Thursday for further transportation to the Safari Park Veterinary Hospital in Cisarua, Bogor.

Another official of Bengkulu`s BKSDA, Supartono, said the tiger that weighed about 75 kg and was five to six years old had run into the trap that appeared to have been intended for animals the size of full-grown tigers.

Meanwhile, Lebong district police were reported to have assigned a team to investigate the case and find the owner of the animal trap.(*)

Editor: Aditia Maruli