Indonesia: Wild tiger attacks cattle in Langkat, North Sumatra

Antara 9 Dec 14;

Langkat, N Sumatra (ANTARA News) - A Sumatran Tiger (Panthera tigris sumatrae) reportedly trespassed and preyed on cattle belonging to the local residents of a village in Bahorok Sub-district, Langkat District, North Sumatra Province.

Head of Section V of Bahorok Sub-district Pabel Turnip stated here on Tuesday that the local residents have filed a report regarding the tiger attack.

Due to the dwindling numbers of natural prey in its habitat in Mount Leuser National Park, the tiger was aggressively hunting for food in the local village.

"In fact, the local people are raising their cattle in the area within the tigers hunting corridor, and this has driven the tiger down to the residential area in Bahorok," Turnip explained.

Moreover, Turnip urged the local residents to change their cattle-raising method by avoiding the tigers zone to prevent further incidents.

Therefore, the local authority has set up a restriction zone for local residents in the area around the tigers habitat.

In the meantime, a local ranger Jhon Purba said that he and his unit were armed to stand guard round-the-clock at the location.

Purba stated that the CCTV footage of the Mount Leuser National Park Agency revealed the activity of the tiger in the habitat. Tourists and tourist guides have been advised to abstain from visiting the location as the situation is not conducive.

The carcass of the cattle was still lying at the outskirts of the forest.

"We want the carcass to be dragged by the tiger into the forest," Purba noted, adding that no one should come near the area because if the tiger detects human scent, it will get distracted and will ignore the carcass.(*)