Related News
Villagers kill three rare tigers after fatal attacks
Source: Agencies |
February 25, 2009, Wednesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
VILLAGERS in western Indonesia speared to death three Sumatran tigers this month after the critically endangered cats strayed from protected forests to attack livestock and killed six people in a neighboring province, a conservationist said yesterday.
The tigers were killed in Riau, a province on Sumatra island, said Samsidar, a spokesman for the WWF.
Residents in the Indragiri Hilir district caught and speared the first tiger on February 10 and the other two six days later, he said, adding that wildlife officials suspect the skins of the dead cats may have been sold to poachers.
"We haven't been able to find their carcasses," he said.
Sumatran tigers in Jambi province mauled to death six people in the last month, prompting conservationists to launch an operation to capture and relocate the animals.
There are only around 250 Sumatran tigers left in the wild, compared to about 1,000 in the 1970s. As a result, their subspecies, Panthera tigris sumatrae, could become the first large predator to become extinct in the 21st century.
The tigers were killed in Riau, a province on Sumatra island, said Samsidar, a spokesman for the WWF.
Residents in the Indragiri Hilir district caught and speared the first tiger on February 10 and the other two six days later, he said, adding that wildlife officials suspect the skins of the dead cats may have been sold to poachers.
"We haven't been able to find their carcasses," he said.
Sumatran tigers in Jambi province mauled to death six people in the last month, prompting conservationists to launch an operation to capture and relocate the animals.
There are only around 250 Sumatran tigers left in the wild, compared to about 1,000 in the 1970s. As a result, their subspecies, Panthera tigris sumatrae, could become the first large predator to become extinct in the 21st century.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
