The carcass of a protected Sumatra tiger was found last week in a forest in Siak Regency, Riau. A wire snares was also found around its neck.
It is said that an oil palm plantation worker found the carcass on August 27. He later reported the findings to the head of his neighborhood unit. And on Saturday, the information was conveyed to Riau Natural
Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA).
However, the information was not publicly available until Wednesday, when photos of the tiger carcass found in the snare spread on social media.
Initially, Riau BKSDA refused to give an official statement on the tiger’s death, saying that such publicity would threaten other Sumatran tigers and interfere with the agency’s efforts to save them.
“We should understand that publication [of the incident] could lead to a high level of threat to the tigers. Frankly, the results of our monitoring show that hunting has worsened,” said Riau BKSDA official, Heru Sutmantoro.
However, he later provided more information. He said the tiger was autopsied on by the Riau BKSDA team before being buried.
Field analysis showed that the tiger was trapped at a different location from where it was found and that it had died about 10 days ago.
“The tiger was an adult female, aged about 8 to 10 years. She died of respiratory failure because of the wire that entangled her neck,” he said.
Heru also added that the companies holding land concessions in the area are responsible for protecting endangered species in the area. He hopes they will remove the snares installed in their work area.
Source: The Jakarta Post