T

he brutal killing of an endangered Sumatran tiger by local residents in Mandailing Natal, North Sumatra, on Sunday has raised questions on supervision and protection by authorities. Local residents allegedly killed the tiger due to prolonged human-wildlife conflict in the area.

Sunarto, a researcher from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), questioned the North Sumatra Natural Resources Conservation Agency’s (BKSDA) authoritativeness and its influence on members of five villages in Batang Natal district, where the incident occurred.

He criticized local authorities’ failure to manage prolonged human-wildlife conflicts, which resulted in local residents hunting down and eventually killing the tiger.

“Without a well-designed plan [on how to manage such conflicts], residents will respond [to conflicts] in a negative way,” he said on Monday.

According to the agency, more than one tiger has appeared in five villages since the end of last year. The Sumatran tigers, which naturally live in Batang Gadis National Park, have frequently roamed the villagers’ plantation, triggering fear and anxiety among residents.

The incident also highlighted the lack of adequate attention to the human aspect of the conservation. “As a consequence, the society shows no sympathy when asked by the government to help preservation efforts,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mandailing Natal regency police chief Adj. Sr. Comm. Martri Sonny said the agency’s slow response to local residents’ anxiety and fears over the tigers’ appearance had contributed to the killing.

“They were even angrier at the agency [for failing to take care of the issue], especially after one of the villagers was mauled,” he said, referring to the incident in mid-February when one of local residents was injured on his legs and back.

The conflict eventually grew. A team consisting officers of the agency, the national park, the local police and Indonesian Military (TNI) came out to look for the tiger, which had been haunting the village for more than a month, according to the residents. The team reportedly failed to persuade the locals to capture the tiger alive and was forced to sign a letter suggesting that they would not sue the villagers should they kill the tiger.

The agency later sent a letter to the North Sumatra Police, suggesting that the conflict might have involved illegal loggers.

However, the North Sumatra Police rebuffed the allegation.

“We have yet to find evidence which indicates involvement of an illegal logging mafia in this case,” North Sumatra Police spokeswoman Sr. Comm. Rina Sari Ginting told The Jakarta Post.

The Environment and Forestry Ministry has launched an investigation into the case, saying perpetrators of the killing, once proven guilty, may face a maximum of five years in prison and Rp 100 million (US$7,000) in fines as per the 1990 Conservation Law.

“We may also use multiple charges, including criminal charges and potentially illegal logging,” said Indra Explotasia Semiawan, the ministry’s director of forest protection.

However, Indra acknowledged poor supervision the field, citing lack of manpower as one of the biggest challenges facing conservation efforts.

“Hence we need the regional administration’s assistance to address this issue,” she said.

Shortage of rangers is one of the major problems in the preservation of wildlife. The number of rangers currently stands at around 2,600, tasked to guard 51 national parks in Indonesia. The ministry has previously stated that 6,000 rangers would be ideal. (srs)