R

esidents of Koto Tuo village in District XIII Koto Kampar, Riau, have something to fear after tiger prints were found on a rubber plantation near their residential compound last week.

As of Monday, they were still finding fresh prints along the village’s roads. Resident Usman said the first prints were found last Wednesday by a local resident identified only as Imar when he was heading to his farming estate.

“They were found some 50 meters from his house,” Usman added on Tuesday.

Worried about their safety, many residents are now reluctant to tap rubber early in the morning because the prints were not all the same size. It is believed that they belong to up to six tigers.

“We prefer to do so later, in daylight,” Usman said, adding that hopefully, the authorities would follow up on their finding.

Members of a Quick Response team dispatched by the Riau Natural Resources Conservation Agency examine the suspected Sumatran tiger prints on Tuesday.

Riau Natural Resources Conservation Agency spokesperson Dian Indriati said the agency had received a report on the alleged presence of tigers in the Kampar rubber plantation area but could not give more details about the incident.