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Tiger attacks spike as humans encroach on South Sumatran habitat
“Tigers roam only in their territory, with a cruising range of about 20 kilometers. Residents must respect that by not entering or damaging tigers’ habitats,” Lahat Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA) official Martialis said.
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Veterinarian Erni Suyanti Musabine brings an anesthetized wild tiger, named Giring, across the Seblat River to relocate the animal in a protected forest in Taman Wisata Alam Seblat, North Bengkulu, on Oct. 28, 2015. The Sumatran tiger was listed as “critically endangered” on the IUCN Red List in 2008 with a population of about 400 to 600. The Sumatran tiger is the only surviving member of the Sunda Islands tigers that once included the now-extinct Bali tiger and Javan tiger. (AFP/Nature Conservation Agency)
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our people have died in at least six tiger attacks in South Sumatra over the past two months, indicating that humans have ventured further into the Sumatran tiger’s habitat and have pushed the creatures to their edge, conservationists say.
The latest incident took place on Sunday when a local farmer, named Suhandi, was found dead on a durian plantation in Fajar Bulan village, Mulak Ulu Lahat district, Lahat regency. Villagers found his body torn, with signs of an attack from a wild animal.
The 57-year-old farmer had been staying in a hut on the plantation while he waited for the durian harvest. On Sunday, his child came to the hut to bring him a meal and found the dwelling in disarray with Suhandi gone. He was then reported missing.
Local villagers, along with a joint team of forest rangers, the Lahat Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA), the local police and the Indonesian Military (TNI), searched the area. They later found Suhandi’s body with severe lacerations.
Mulak Ulu Lahat police chief Adj.Cmr. Kasmini said the autopsy from the Lahat regional hospital suggested that Suhandi died after being mauled by a Sumatran tiger. Footprints from the endangered animal were also found near his body.
The incident has frightened villagers, many of whom have chosen to stay at home instead of going to the plantation. Authorities, Kasmini said, were urging residents to remain alert, to avoid the plantation at early hours of the morning and to get home before dark.
Suhandi was the fourth victim of at least six tiger attacks in three regencies in the province from November to December, Martialis, an official at the Lahat BKSDA said.
