Tigers on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia are disappearing due to an absence of conservation measures, ecologists are now warning.
Ecologists surveying the population of tigers calling western Sumatra home said they’ve turned up only 11 individual tigers over the past few years covering their investigation.
One tiger was missing its right forearm, likely a victim of a snare set by poachers.
It’s unknown how low the population of Sumatran tigers has fallen, but the conservationists warn that the numbers are precipitously low and the population as it currently stands is unsustainable.
“Based on our results, we identify an urgent need for boosted tiger-targeted protection in Ulu Masen,” Figel et al. said in their report.
The study, released today, says the situation for the species in Indonesia is dire. Only strong species and habitat conservation measures at the federal level will save the tigers from extirpation, the authors warn.
The study is found in Nature Scientific Reports. The research behind it was led in part by the Leuser International Foundation.
The researchers said tiger conservation measures appear to be adequate are higher elevations set aside as national park lands. However, some 70% of the tigers’ habitat is not protected. They identified humans as the greatest threat to the tigers’ survival.
An extensive camera trap survey turned up preciously few tigers roaming in the species’ core habitat in western Sumatra, in the province of Aceh.
The population there is also suffering from a serious sex imbalance.
Of the 11 tigers spotted in the camera traps, eight were male while only one was identified as female. The sex of two other tigers couldn’t be identified.
“Only three tigers were seen more than once, but none of the individuals seen in 2020 were seen again in 2022,” the research team said in an overview. “While it’s nice to see 11 individuals, the lack of females and high population turnover does not indicate a healthy population.
Data was recovered from 52 of the 61 camera traps set. Nine of the camera traps set for the multi-year study were either destroyed or stolen.
Some efforts have been made to protect Sumatra’s tiger population, but mainly in protected zones.
The team said rangers have managed to cut the number of snares set by poachers by 41% in Kerinci-Seblat National Park, which lies farther to the south of the study area.
No strong protection measures are in place in Ulu Masen, where the camera trap study occurred.
The researchers strongly suggest that the government of Indonesia should consider establishing a protected zone for tigers inhabiting western Sumatra and Aceh.
They don’t say so explicitly, but they warn that the Sumatran tigers living there face a very bleak future in the absence of any national park designation for Ulu Masen.
“Sumatran tigers are one of the rarest tiger subspecies, with as few as 400 individuals left in the wild,” they said. “However, up to 70% of tigers live in unprotected areas outside national parks where population data is sparse.”
“Ulu Masen is a key habitat for tigers but is not part of a national park and has been insufficiently surveyed for tigers,” they added.
©2024 Public Parks
Park Info
Park:
Ulu Masen Ecosystem
Location:
Sumatra, Indonesia
More information:
