Sumatran tigers under extreme threat

A report released today exposed the fact that laws protecting the Sumatran tiger are unsuccessful in stopping body parts of the critically endangered animal being openly sold in Indonesia.

Claws, skin pieces, whiskers, bones and canine teeth are just a selection of the body parts discovered to be for sale across 28 towns and cities in Sumatra in one in ten of 326 retail outlets surveyed by Traffic- the wildlife trade monitoring body.

Traffic’s report, The Tiger Trade Revisited in Sumatra, uncovered tiger parts sold in souvenir and traditional Chinese medicine shops, goldsmiths, and shops specializing in precious and antique stones.

The report estimated that approximately 23 tigers had been killed in order to supply the items uncovered, this estimation was based upon the number of teeth found. This marked a decrease on the numbers found in previous Traffic reports.

However Julia Ng, lead author of the report and programme officer with Traffic south-east Asia, attributes this decrease to the decreased number of tigers left in the wild stating how the Sumatran tiger population is estimated at less than 400-500 tigers.

The IUCN-World Conservation Union’s “red list” of endangered species lists the Sumatran tiger. This “red list” is the top level of threat to extinction that a species can be under.

The Sumatra tigers are Indonesia’s only wild tigers; the Wild Bali and Javan tigers became extinct last century as a result of hunting and habitat demolition.

Although domestic and international bans being in place to stop trade of the animal the booming black market for tiger products is seriously threatening to eradicate the rest of the world’s tiger population.

Traffic has provided Indonesian authorities with the names of the traders concerned but is not certain that any enforcement action will realistically be taken.

The report suggests that efforts should be focused on ensuring that the trade can be successfully contested by arresting suppliers and dealers. It states that in addition to this trade hotspots should be constantly monitored with all intelligence handed straight to the authorities to ensure the speediest action is taken with those found guilty prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

Tonny Soeharton, director for biodiversity conservation for Indonesia’s ministry of forestry, has spoken of the other problems that can be blamed for the decline of Sumatran tiger populations.

These include issues of land use changes and habitat destruction as a result of deforestation, all of which drives the tiger closer to humans resulting in greater tiger-human clashes.

Last year the Indonesian president revealed a conservation action plan that aimed at protecting the Sumatran tiger. Traffic, chairing 2008’s Wildlife Enforcement Network, is pushing for Indonesia to take action against the illegal wildlife trade and in doing so be an example to the rest of south-east Asia.

Jane Smart, head of the IUCN’s species programme, explained how the Sumatran tiger is listed as critically endangered, stressing that no more of these outstanding creatures can be lost.