Bloody turf war could spell doom for Sumatran tiger
Terrified Indonesian villagers have killed three Sumatran tigers in recent weeks in a territory war that could spell extinction for one of the world’s most critically endangered big cats.
At least six people in the province of Jambi on the island of Sumatra have been mauled to death by the beasts, prompting locals to fight back, according to a report carried Monday by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
One female tiger believed to be responsible for four of the deaths has been trapped alive after being lured into a trap with a live goat.
But Hanip, 26, whose father and brother were killed when the captured tiger tore through the plastic roofing of the hut in which they were sleeping, says the animal should die.
“Everyone living in this area will feel a lot safer,” he told ABC. “Ever since we knew about the tiger everyone has stopped working. If the tigers are dead, then all the families here will feel a lot better.”
Conservationists argue that human activities are responsible for the increase in tiger attacks. As forest lands are cleared for palm oil and pulpwood plantations, the tigers’ natural habitat has been devastated.
Tom Maddox of the Zoological Society of London told ABC that human encroachment made conflict inevitable and said he feared the ultimate result would be the tiger’s complete extinction. The ZSL estimates there could be as few as 230 Sumatran tigers left in the wild.