LAMANRIAU.COM, PEKANBARU – Another Sumatran tiger in Siak Regency, Riau, was found dead with his neck entangled in steel wire ropes.
Head of Region II of the Riau Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BBKSDA), Heru Sutmantoro, explained that the tigress was found in a rotting condition with her neck wrapped in a sling (steel wire rope).
Based on the examination of the medical team from the Riau BBKSDA, the tiger is thought to have died a week ago.
“BBKSDA Riau received reports from the public in Siak Regency regarding the discovery of a dead Sumatran tiger. We have followed up and sent a medical team to the field and examined the tiger carcass,” Heru said, Wednesday, September 2, 2020.
Heru continued, the Sumatran tiger, estimated to be 8-9 years old, was found rotting in a production forest not far from the PT Seraya Sumber Lestari area.
“The location is approximately 45 meters from the company PT Seraya Sumber Lestari. So the location is indeed in a production forest,” he said.
Although the Sumatran tiger was found dead in a condition entangled in slings, Riau BBKSDA was reluctant to immediately conclude that the animal died because it was deliberately killed. However, BBKSDA Riau does not dismiss the possibility that steel wire ropes are used to ensnare wild animals.
“This means that there is hunting. This (snare) from the slings means that there are hunting activities for protected wild animals,” said Heru.
The death of a Sumatran tiger with a sling-entangled condition in Siak Regency is not the first. Heru admitted earlier that in May 2020, a Sumatran tiger was found dead in entanglement. The locations of the deaths of the two Sumatran tigers are also close to or in one landscape.
The rescue and preservation of Sumatran tigers and other endangered species is a shared responsibility of all interested parties in the local area, including forest concession rights owners (companies).
However, BBKSDA Riau sometimes regretted the lack of concern of forest concession owners in which there are protected endangered species.
“We must prioritize prevention by means of routine patrols. They (companies) have a team that cares about wildlife, it must move to see which areas are prone to being set by poachers,” he said.
Director of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (WALHI) Riau, Riko Kurniawan, said that the performance of the Riau BBKSDA must be evaluated considering the cases of deaths of protected animals due to repeated snares.
“Because we see that there are no legal remedies to prevent this action from being repeated in the future,” said Riko.
WALHI Riau also considers that companies that own forest concessions must also be responsible for every case of death of protected animals in their area.
“In the concession, they (the company) are obliged to protect these animals. If this happens in the concession area, the permit can be evaluated by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry but this must be reported by BBKSDA Riau. Obligations and compliance to protect animals have never been properly monitored by BBKSDA Riau,” he concluded. (voa)
