Bengkulu conservation office saves wounded, trapped Sumatran tiger

The Bengkulu conservation office has managed to evacuate Sumatran tiger (Panthera tigris sumatrae) trapped in Mangku Rajo village, Lebong Selatan district of Lebong regency, 112 km from the Bengkulu city.

”The male tiger was in a weak condition with wounds over his body, as it was allegedly attacked with spears by local residents who wanted to kill him,” office head Amon Zamora, told antaranews.com in Bengkulu on Tuesday.

He said that the tiger, which is about five or six years old, had been brought to his office to receive medical treatment and be fed properly.

The team managed to evacuate the tiger on Monday at about 11 p.m. after it was trapped on Sunday in the Bukit Daun protected forest near a coffee plantation belonging to PT Indo Arabica Desa Mangku Rajo.

Local residents claimed they set the trap to catch a wild boar, but Amon did not believe their claims, saying that wild boars usually roamed at the side of the plantation area, not in the middle of the protected forest, which was the habitat of tigers and deer.

He estimated that there were only about 50 Sumatran tigers left in the area.