Tiger kills man in Aceh

Tapaktuan, Aceh Province (ANTARA News) - A Sumatran tiger killed Martunis, 25, a resident of Gampong Panton Luas village, Tapaktuan sub district, Aceh Province, Monday (Oct 11).

"He was mauled in a horrible way, his whole body was torn up, his abdominal organs were eaten by the tiger," Tapaktuan Sub-district Head Erwiandi, said here Tuesday (Oct 12).

The young man left his parents` house at Panton Luas for Mt Sirindi area to look for rattan.

Tigers have been roaming around over the past one month in Mt. Serindit area, and eaten cattle belonging to local inhabitants in Jambo Papeaun, Meukek sub district, around 5 km west of Mt Serindit, Panton Luas Tapaktuan.

More than ten people have been killed since the past four years in South Aceh.
Director Executive of the Nature Preservation Foundation (YAPALA) Suhaimi Shalihin urged local people living surrounding forest areas to help protect the forests, which are important habitats of animals.

The Sumatran tiger is considered to be a `critically` endangered species. The population of Sumatran tigers (panthera tigris sumatrae) is dwindling rapidly. Only between 500-600 Sumatran tigers reporedly remain in the wild, and the actual number may be as low as 400,

In 1978 a tiger census reported around 1,000 Sumatran tigers still in the wild. This means over the last 25 years, the population of Sumatran tigers has been cut in half.

The Sumatran tiger is found only on the Indonesian island of Sumatra off the Malaysian Peninsula. Their habitat ranges from lowland forest to mountain forest and includes evergreen, swamp and tropical rain forests.

In recent years Sumatra has seen a great deal of agricultural growth and this has fragmented the tigers habitat. This destruction of habitat is considered the greatest threat to the survival of the Sumatran tiger, followed by poaching.