A second Sumatran tiger has been found dead in less than a week, according to Indonesian conservation officials on Monday, June 29.
The conservation agency in South Aceh on Sumatra island said they found the carcass of the tigress near a farm. This led authorities to believe that both tigers were targeted by locals for attacking their livestock, due to the increasing human-animal conflict in the Southeast Asian archipelago.
“There weren’t any hunter traps or physical wounds and we suspect [it] was poisoned,” said agency chief Hadi Sofyan, noting that autopsy is underway.
Just last week, a buried carcass of a male tiger was uncovered in North Sumatra;s Batang Gadis national park. Authorities suspect it was also poisoned. A park spokesman said farmers were angry at the tiger for killing their livestock.
Sumatran tigers are listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, with less than 400 left in the wild.
TRAFFIC, a global wildlife trade monitoring network, reported that Indonesia is battling rampant poaching, which accounts for all Sumatran tiger deaths. Tiger parts are sold to be used for traditional medicine – particularly in China – even though experts have already noted there are no scientific evidence that they have any benefits to human’s health.
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