Indonesia: Javan Leopard Caught in Village Chicken Cage

Ari Susanto Jakarta Globe 9 Sep 13;

Solo, Central Java. The Regional Natural Resource Conservation Agency (BKSDA) for Surakarta evacuated an endangered Javan leopard after it was caught by residents of Tempur, Central Java, on Friday.

“We thank the villagers for reporting this to BKSDA and for not hurting or killing the Javan leopard, since this animal is protected by Indonesian law,” Johan Setiawan, head of Surakarta’s BKSDA office, said on Saturday.

The leopard was trapped by villagers using a modified chicken cage. The animal began appearing in the village after its habitat in the surrounding area was threatened by locals’ activities. It had since gained a reputation for preying on cattle at night.

BKSDA identified the leopard as a male juvenile about 3 years old.

Johan said BKSDA sent a rescue-and-evacuation team, including an animal expert and a veterinary surgeon, to check the leopard’s health. It was anesthetized prior to evacuation in a conservation cage.

The team found the leopard in good health, despite its entrapment. It is being held for observation at Batang Safari Park, Central Java, after which the conservation office will return the animal to its habitat.

The Javan leopard is an endangered subspecies that lives in Javanese forests from Ujung Kulon, Banten, to Alas Purwo, East Java.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature classified it as critically endangered in 2008.

At the time, there were no more than 250 Javan leopards alive, with no population rebound expected.