The End of Sumatran Tiger

- Their population just decrease to 400 animals in this decade. Destruction on their forest is the main cause, leads them to extinction. Change on land surface caused by human activity in Sumatra increased quickly. Illegal hunting activity placed them in the worst condition.-

Sumatran Tiger or Panthera tigris Sumatre, one of tiger subspecies that only live in Sumatra Island, Indonesia, is the smallest tiger in the world. It has darker color when compared with other tiger subspecies. They usually live in tropical rain forest that can found in Sumatra. But, caused by human activity, Very large area of the forest changed and become agriculture area. Many of the tiger lost their home and some of the tiger killed when people open the forest.

The space where they live and doing their activity become smaller than before, amount of foods are very limited for them. Some of the tiger get out of their forest and attack farmer that works near the forest makes all people that live in that place scared. So, they call local hunters to kill the tiger and the hunters kill all tiger that they can find, not only one animal, but all the tigers that live in the forest. Although Sumatran Tiger classified as endangered animal, conflict between human and tiger makes people think that tiger must be killed.

Illegal hunting activities make condition worst, an investigation in Riau Kepulauan showed that tiger hunting activity still continuous until now. Hunters start their work in the forest border near conservation area and place their trap in that place. They know well that area usually out of reach by forest guarder. The hunters work in team, and there are more than 30 team in one area.

One of the hunters said that one live tiger sold for Rp 30.000.000, or USD 3000. Some of the tigers killed and had separated to the parts (skin, bone, head, and teeth) and exported to Singapore and Malaysia.

After the extinction of Javanese tiger (Panthera tigris sundanese) and Balinese Tiger (Panthera tigris balica), people predicted that Sumatran tiger will extinct like the two above.