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Conservationists seek more proof that Javan tiger may no longer be extinct
The endemic Javan and Balinese tigers were wiped out in the 1980s and 1940s respectively, leaving only Sumatran tigers remaining in Indonesia.
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This photograph of a live Javan tiger, P. t. sondaica, was taken in 1938 at Ujung Kulon, Banten. (The Jakarta Post/Wikipedia)
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cientists and conservationists are hunting for more clues that the extinct Javan tiger may still exist in the wild, a government official said Tuesday, after a new study suggested links between a DNA-tested hair and the big cat.
The endemic Javan and Balinese tigers were wiped out in the 1980s and 1940s respectively, leaving only Sumatran tigers remaining in Indonesia.
Armed with camera traps and extensive DNA sweeps, conservationists have hoped that they could find more evidence that the Javan tiger.
Scientists from the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) along with conservationists discovered genetic traces of the Javan tiger in a single hair found near a West Java village in 2019, according to a study published by Cambridge University Press last week.
"The Environment and Forestry Ministry appreciates the research... there are several actions that we are doing and will do to respond to the results," Satyawan Pudyatmoko, head of conservation at the environment and forestry ministry, told AFP.
He said those measures included setting up camera traps, inviting genetics experts to help authorities conduct further research and tests, and collecting community data.
"If, for example, it is proven that it still exists, it will certainly become a protected animal. It is the obligation of all parties, including the society, to participate in preserving their population," he said.
