Village chief Miswanto said the rare and endangered animal species had roamed around human settlements for the past month, individually or in a group.

“The tigers, locally called datuk [a local honorable title], appear in the middle of the village and roar loudly while people are resting,” Miswanto told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.  

“We also often stumble upon their droppings in the morning near the small mosque.”

Miswanto said he had reported the people’s anxiety to the regency administration and the local office of Natural Resources Conservation Center (BKSDA) in Rengat three weeks ago, but had yet to receive a response.

“Residents are afraid to go to their farms as they’re afraid they will be mauled. No one would feel at ease to find tiger tracks on their farm.

“We hope the government will pay attention because we are afraid and don’t know how to drive the tigers away ourselves.”

Residents believe the tigers have intruded into their village because their natural habitat around the Kerumutan wildlife preserve, located on the border between Indragiri Hulu and Indragiri Hilir regencies, has been damaged and turned into an industrial forest by one of Riau’s largest paper and pulp companies.

“Forest clearance around the border has taken place for around six years and a portion of the forest has been grown with acacia variety trees,” Miswanto said.

“The tigers have likely intruded in the settlement because their habitat was damaged.

“We have reported the forest conversion, but the regency administration acknowledged it was unaware whether or not the activities had already been carried out in the Indragiri Hulu area due to the unclear status of both borders.”

Rengat area BKSDA head Edi Susanto had a similar theory for why the tigers had ventured into the
village.    

Edi said, besides being turned into an industrial forest, a large portion of the Kuala Cinaku wildlife preserve has been converted into oil palm estates, forcing the tigers to venture into human settlements when they move from one forest block to another.

“Actually, the tigers are just passing through but could not enter the forest because their natural path has been swamped by floods.

“Consequently, they become trapped in human settlements, which are relatively dry.”

Edi said the group of tigers was made up of two female, two cubs and a male tiger.

Based on observations, he said none of the residents’ livestock had been devoured by the tigers because they preferred wild boars and deer.

“The group is believed to be a family. So far we have not received reports on the tigers attacking
residents.”

Edi added his office had yet responded to the issue although the tigers’ presence had raised public anxiety and disrupted people’s daily activities.

“It is not possible to catch them because the area is their natural habitat. It is also difficult to drive them back into the forest because the flood has not subsided.”

Afdhal Mahyudin, a communication staff member from the Riau office of World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), urged relevant agencies to immediately take necessary measures to avoid conflict between humans and tigers.

He said the conflict in the Kerumutan forest block last year had caused four tigers to be trapped and die, while three people were seriously injured.

“One of the solutions is to restore the function of forested areas that have been converted into industrial forests and oil palm estates. The growing conflict between humans and tigers correlates with the further encroachment of the remaining forested areas.”

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