It is sad to know the fact that Sumatran tiger (Panthera tigris sumatrae) is on the brink of extinction. Currently, there are only around 400 Sumatran tigers mainly live in national parks on Sumatra island, Indonesia.
If strict and necessary actions are not taken by the government, Sumatran tiger might extinct just like what happened to the previous subspecies : Balinese tigers and Javanese tigers which were declared extinct in the 1940s and 1980s respectively. If this trend persists the future generation will be unable to see this amazing animal. Sumatran tigers live in Sumatra, an island in Indonesia which is rich in tropical forest and a home of hundreds of mammals and birds. People have been cutting trees illegally for industries in the island. Since 1985, Sumatra has lost 48% of its forest which consequently decreases the habitat of the tiger whose home is being destroyed day by day. As a whole, it is reported that the level of deforestation in Indonesia stands at 450 thousand hectares per year. Other human activities such as forest clearing for agriculture and commercial plantations, logging and road building restrict the movements of tigers and other wild animals. Along with the loss of their forest habitat, tigers are forced to enter regions closer to humans and are often killed or captured when they are strayed into rural areas or when accidentally encounters with humans. The decrease of the habitat of the tiger into plantations or other purposes as well as the conflicts between humans and tigers leads to the drop of the population of the tigers. Sumatran tigers are on the brink of extinction due to uncontrolled loss of the habitat, loss of prey, and hunting.
The first reason that contributes to the drop in the number of Sumatran tigers is the loss of their habitat. This is caused, among others, by rampant land conversion into plantations and housing. According to WWF, the land conversion, and illegal lodging have been out of control which in turns erode and diminish the habitat of the tigers. Currently, the tiger habitat is around 130,000 km2, with only 42,000 km2 is protected for conservation areas. However, it is not a guarantee that conservation areas have become safe places because one conservation area is isolated from other conservation areas. Land conversion and illegal lodging often take place in these separated areas which used to be the tigers areas. No wonder if tigers appeared in these areas which then result in conflict between humans and tigers. For example, in 2011 there were five major cases of conflicts between humans and this wildlife. Several tigers are seen in the areas of human settlements. As a result of the loss of the habitat, Sumatran tigers escaped from the areas of Berbak National Park (BNP). Between 2012—2013, tigers from the West Tanjung Jabung caused some injuries to humans and killed them. Finally, these conflicts end up with the death of tigers due to electric shock in the East Tanjung Jabung, Jambi. Based on the record of HarimauKita forum, at least 46 Sumatran tigers were killed and followed by the death of 57 humans. The highest conflict of tiger-human which results in the death of both is in Riau province. In addition, the increase of human population drives human settlements in the area with its infrastructure such as industry and agriculture, plantation sites, etc. So, when human population is growing, they need areas to support the population density.
The second reason for the decreasing population of tigers is the loss of their prey. Even in Kerinci Sebelat National Park, tigers are rare due to illegal hunting. This National Park is one area with the highest population of Sumatran tiger if compared to other regions in Indonesia. According to the Head of Region Area II of Kerinci Sebelat National Park, Dian Rusdianto, with the area covering around 1.4 million hectares in 2012 Kerinci Sebelat National Park has only 165 tigers from the previous estimation of 250-300 tigers ten years ago. The installation of the trapped meshes, land conversion, and illegal hunting or illegal lodging either by local people or by corporations contribute to the destruction of the ecosystem of the tigers. Not only tigers are in danger but also the tiger preys such as deer, elks, and boars, the main preys of tigers. These human activities lead to the decrease of the tiger preys or force the remaining preys or tigers to move to other safe areas. The decrease of the tiger preys means the decrease of the tigers.
Lastly, illegal hunting of tigers also contributes to the decrease of Sumatran tigers. People hunt the tigers for their skin. Tiger bones are also traded for traditional Chinese medicine while their teeth and claws are used as charms and trophies. Consequently, three of the world’s eight tiger subspecies have gone extinct while Indonesia has lost two of the species. Do we want to lose the subspecies of Sumatran tigers? People awareness and law enforcement by the government to stop these horrible actions are needed otherwise Sumatra tigers will face the same fate.
In conclusion, Sumatra tigers must be protected from extinction. Law enforcement should be carried out by the government to punish people involved in illegal wildlife. The Indonesian government has made laws to stop these activities. Besides, the Indonesian government must protect the natural habitat of Sumatran tigers which are lowland of forest and peatlands in Sumatra. Maintaining their natural habitat will hopefully achieve the targets of protecting the animals and increasing their population in the year 2020. Besides, forest clearing and human settlement must be limited to protect the tiger preys and to avoid conflicts between humans and tigers. Of course, we want to protect the lives of humans and tigers as well. In fact, tigers are not aggressive mammals and only attack when killing their preys. On other occasions, they might kill humans to protect their young or defend themselves. Everyone can help protect the animals by doing what we can. For example, people can report illegal hunting or illegal lodging to the authorities. This is all done to protect and preserve Sumatran tigers as well as other wildlife from extinction.
By Anonymous
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