Police reported recently that three Sumatran tigers considered critically endangered were found dead in western Indonesia on Sunday after they got enlarged by traps, dealing another blow of the quickly decreasing species.
Estimates have revealed that rampant deforestation has decreased the habitat of the tigers and increasing conflict with humans has left only a few hundred of the endangered species that remained in the wild, as specified in a Phys.org report.
Two of the dead tigers were first discovered by local conservationists in Aceh, sitting on the northern tip of Sumatra island, before the authorities were alerted, according to conservation officials.
The police discovered the two intact tiger carcasses beside each other with their feet trapped by steel slings at an Eastern Aceh district-based plantation, as indicated in a police statement.
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Three Sumatran Tiger cubs are seen on display at Taronga Zoo in Sydney, Australia
Trapped by a Sling with Body Beginning to Rot
A few hours after, the authorities found another dead tiger, the third, approximately 1,600 feet away from where the other two tigers were found. Its feet were also trapped by a sling and the body had begun to rot.
A related WION report said that according to Hendra Sukmana, the local police chief, their initial suspicion is that the tigers died after they got captured by a boar trap, as when they found them, their feet "were ensnared by thick steel sling."
Officials will perform autopsies to identify the causes of the death of the tigers. Aceh conservation agency head Agus Arianto said on Monday, that they strongly condemn the incident.
He added that, if the tests showed there was intentional action that was causing the deaths of these protected species, they would take strict action.
Critically Endangered Tigers
Essentially, tigers are considered "critically endangered" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, with lesser than 400 believed to have stayed in the wild.
Up to 10 tigers were killed each year, the Indonesian forestry ministry has said. Furthermore, tigers are targeted by poachers as well, for their body parts that are widely used in traditional medicine, specifically in China, in spite of overwhelming scientific proof that they don't have beneficial value.
Snare traps are normally used by farmers on Sumatra island to capture wild boars, which are considered destructive pests that have a ravenous and wide appetite for an assortment of plants.
Nevertheless, poachers have used snare traps as well, to kill endangered wildlife like the Sumatra tigers discovered, for economic purposes.
COVID-19 Crisis Increased Poaching
A News Now report said that under the Conservation of Natural Resources and Ecosystems of Indonesia said that people intentionally killing protected animals would face up to five years in prison and will be charged an amount of $7,000.
This was the most recent killing of endangered animals on Sumatra Island. According to conservationists, the COVID-19 crisis has led to increased poaching as villagers turned to hunt for the supplementation of their diminished wages.
Earlier on, in October last year, the tiger was discovered dead with injuries that resulted from a snare trap in Bukit Batu wildlife reserve located in the Bengkalis district of Riau province, just a couple of months after three tigers, including a pair of cubs, was found dead in a forested region tiger conservation in Aceh and North Sumatra provinces, the Leuser Ecosystem Area.
Additionally, Aceh police also apprehended four men last July for allegedly catching a tiger with a snare strap and selling its remains.
Days after, another Sumatran tiger died after eating a goat laced with rat poison in nearby North Sumatra province.
Furthermore, a baby elephant died in November after it lost half her trunk to a trap set by poachers who prey on the endangered animal species.
Report about the Sumatran tigers is shown on Ryanmost's YouTube video below:
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