Sumatran Tiger in South Aceh Trapped in Cage Set up by Locals

TheIndonesia.co - A Sumatran tiger (Panthera tigris sumatrae) in Tapaktuan, South Aceh regency, was trapped in a cage set up by local residents after human-wildlife animal conflict occurred in the area, the Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA) in Aceh confirmed.

Head of BKSDA Aceh Agus Arianto said the cage trap was set up by residents in Lhok Bengkuang village in Tapaktuan as they looked to resolve an ongoing conflict with the animal. And on Monday, July 25, one tiger was found to have been trapped inside the cage.

Upon the finding, Arianto said the animal will be observed and assessed before being released into its habitat.

“Now, a team of veterinarians is heading to the location. The process to survey the release site will be done simultaneously by team from Gunung Leuser National Park Center,” he confirmed.

According to him, human-tiger conflict in South Aceh regency has been taking place since June, and some incidents occurred in Batu Itam and Lhok Bengkuang villages.

Since the start of the conflict, nine goats owned by locals have been killed by Sumatran tigers.

To further solve the problem, BKSDA Aceh and the Gunung Leuser National Park Center collectively carry out various mitigation actions, including public education, patrols, and setting up cameras to monitor the animals at locations of conflict.

“The effort to lead the tigers away from the locations also involved handlers and by setting up cages, in which one of the animals was trapped,” Arianto said.

Lastly, he reminded the public that Sumatran tigers are endangered and protected and asked locals to avoid using snares that can harm the animals and may further worsen the human-animal conflict.