Sumatran Tigers Under Threat

If there is one thing that I deplore then it is the poaching of wildlife for material gain and especially if the species being murdered are an endangered one. Illegal hunting continues to operate in Sumatra and their prey is the Sumatran Tiger.

Sumatran tigers and other rare animals are under increasing threat as illegal hunters operate untouched by the authorities.

Anthoni, a ranger at the Bengkulu Natural Resources Conservation Agency, said that most of those hunting Sumatran tigers were wealthy and came from other provinces. Sumatran tigers which now number less than 700 are under increasing threat from habitat destruction and trafficking syndicates that sell their bones and other body parts for traditional medicines, mostly in China and other Asian countries.

The World Wide Fund for Nature estimates the number of wild tigers in the world has fallen by 95 percent over the last century to between 5,000 and 7,000 because of poaching, habitat destruction, loss of prey and conflicts with humans.

According to AP News sources the body parts of six endangered Sumatran tigers discovered at a warehouse near Thailand's main international airport were likely destined for China to be sold for traditional Chinese medicines. Police discovered tiger skulls, fangs and other body parts stored in fruit boxes when they raided a cargo warehouse near Bangkok airport. Tiger parts are a favoured ingredient for Chinese traditional medicines notably those that are believed to increase sexual potency.

And in Indonesia, officers had seized a number of tiger skins and arrested five people on suspicion of hunting tigers, including Rabihil Kana, a former member of the North Bengkulu Legislative Council. So much for these animals being protected under legislation when former members of parliament are on the take.