ONE BY ONE, SUMATRAN TIGERS FALL INTO ILLEGAL TRAPS by Fardah

    Jakarta, Feb 29, 2012 (ANTARA News) - Over the past two months, at least two Sumatran tigers (Pantera Tigris Sumatrae) have fallen into illegal traps in Bengkulu Province, Sumatra Island.

    One tiger died and another survived but lost five toes that  had to be amputated by veterinary  surgeons to save the animal's life.

The latest tragedy occurred in the Air Rami industrial forest, North Bengkulu District, last week.

     It is understood that the tiger was trapped on February 12, only to be discovered on February 15, in a forest, around 180 km from Bengkulu City, Amon Zamora, the chairman of the Bengkulu Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA) said on Monday (Feb 20).

      A 20-member team of BKSDA  including veterinary  surgeons finally managed to find  the badly injured tiger after they had to walk for three days to reach the site located deep inside the forest.

They evacuated the animal to a nearby village located a one-day walk from where it was trapped.

     BKSDA personnel had tried to borrow a helicopter to evacuate it to Bengkulu for optimal medical treatment, but no helicopter was available from them.

So they decided to give the animal medical treatment in the village despite limited medical equipment, medicines and even food.  On Monday (Feb 20), they amputated two wounded toes of the poor tiger, and the next day three more.

     The team was desperately planning to evacuate the tiger to Bengkulu City for proper medical treatment on Wednesday (Feb 22). But they knew it would be a difficult job as the tiger was severely injured and weak, while the nearest village accessible to cars was  two days away on foot, according to Amon.    

     They could just hope  the tiger would survive the long and difficult journey and be luckier than a predecessor which died during surgery at the Safari Park Veterinary Hospital in Cisarua, West Java, last January.

The previous tiger, which had sustained serious injuries after falling into an illegal trap in the protected Gedang Hulu Lais forest, Lebong District, also in Bengkulu Province, died while being treated in intensive care by a team of doctors.

     The Bengkulu KBSDA officers found the endangered animal estimated to be five or six years old, on January 12.

    Supartono, the head of the Bengkulu BKSDA's administration section, said  the tiger was found in a trap inside Gedang Hulu Lais protected forest, near the border of the Bukit Daun protected forest.

   It is tragic that locals who had found the trapped animal  had apparently tried to kill it with spears. There were wounds  all over of its body and eye.  

Local conservationists found six spears at the scene.   Supartono  estimated  the tiger had been in the trap for four days before it was  finally rescued and evacuated by  several forest rangers and police officers. The poor animal was very weak and dehydrated.

     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.

     "We are afraid that if the surgery is conducted in Bengkulu, the tiger's condition will even become  more critical because of our limited medical equipment and knowhow ," Amon said.

    The situation was reported to the  Forestry Ministry which eventually ordered the tiger, which was in critical condition to be transferred to Jakarta by plane for further transportation to the Safari Park Veterinary Hospital in Cisarua, Bogor.  But it was too late!

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

    The population of Sumatran tigers (Pantera Tigris Sumatrae) in Bengkulu Province has dropped due to poaching and conflicts between tigers and local villagers.

     Despite being protected by law, tigers have been poached because they are in high demand in the black market.

    Human encroachment into tiger habitats has triggered conflicts between man and tigers. Last year, tigers had reportedly killed livestock such as goats and cows, and a number of humans.

   Two years ago, the tiger population in Bengkulu was estimated at around 50, and currently it was around 19 based on an estimation from conflicts and encounters between human beings and the animals lately.

     "Over the past few years, local residents have encountered Sumatran tigers among other things in forest and plantation areas in the districts of Seluma, Bengkulu Tengah, Kaur, Kepahiang, North Bengkulu, Lebong and Rejang Lebong," Amon said early this year.

    On Sumatra Island, the population of Sumatran tigers is estimated at around  400. But during 2011,  about 40 tigers died in tiger-human conflicts.

"Forty tigers died last year due to conflicts with humans. In Bengkulu yesterday, four tigers were rescued from illegal animal traps. If we don't stop it now,  our tigers will soon become extinct," the forestry ministry's Nature Conservation and Protection Director General Darori said in Jakaerta, on January 17, 2012.

     Two of Indonesia's tiger species, namely the Javanese and Balinese tigers have already become extinct. Sumatran tigers are now the only remaining surviving species in this country.

    It's about time that the forestry ministry provides one or two helicopters to help save Sumatran tigers that have become victims of illegal traps as rescuers often have to race against time in bringing the animals to a veterinary facility. (F001)