WWF urges better protection for Sumatran tigers

The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Indonesia has called for increased efforts to protect Sumatran tigers, citing that there are only about 400 of the animals left worldwide.

WWF Indonesia tiger protection coordinator Osmantri said that Sumatran tigers were the only sub-species of Indonesian tigers that remained alive, after following the extinctions of the Javan and Bali tigers in the early 20th Century.

He said that illegal hunting and trading, which often involved big and financially strong networks, were currently the biggest threats to Sumatran tigers.

“Illegal trade of wild animals is also a cause of state losses, so dealing with them is as important as dealing with illegal logging,” Osmantri said, as quoted by Antara news agency.

He said that the Indonesia was one of 13 countries that had signed the Global Tiger Recovery Program commitment in St. Petersburg, Russia, in November last year.

Osmantri urged the government to stay true to the commitment, which includes a clause on the preservation of Sumatran tigers and their habitats.