SHOCK: Killing and Dismemberment of Ultra Rare Sumatran Tiger in Indonesian Zoo by Poachers Draws Condemnation

SHOCK:  The killing and dismemberment of an ultra rare Sumatran tiger in an Indonesian zoo by poachers have drawn condemnation by the Zoological Society of London, which had called for tougher enforcement against trading in wildlife areas.  The society said that the female Sumatran tiger, which ZSL used in 2003 to train Indonesians in veterinary care, was drugged and skinned at a zoo in Sumatra on August 22. The body parts were likely sold on the black market as there is “high demand for their use in Chinese medicine,” the London zoo said.

“It is shocking that this tiger, who has contributed to tiger conservation via her role in training young Indonesian wildlife biologists and vets, should fuel the trade in wildlife parts which threatens her kind with extinction,” said Sarah Christie, tiger conservation manager for ZSL.

The Sumatran tiger is listed as “critically endangered” on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List and is Indonesia’s last remaining subspecies of the big cat after hunting and habitat destruction killed off the other two, the Javan and Bali varieties. As few as 400 are left in the wild, and the cat is being “sold into extinction,” wildlife monitoring network Traffic said last year in a study that documented sales of claws, whiskers and teeth across Indonesia.

“This tragic incident highlights the need for improved law enforcement at a local level,” Christie said. Police investigating the slaying are questioning a veterinarian and five workers at the Taman Rimbo zoo in Jambi, the Jakarta Post reported. Source:  Bloomberg

This is a real tragedy and I agree that the enforcement efforts must be intensified. Surely the government can step up its efforts in eradicating the poaching of its wildlife.

Photo credit:  My Opera