BKSDA deploys team to handle Sumatran tiger appearance in residential area

The Aceh Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA) has deployed a team to handle the appearance of a Sumatran tiger (Panthera tigris sumatrae) in East Aceh Regency. Head of BKSDA Aceh Ujang Wisnu Barata in Banda Aceh on Wednesday said the team was dispatched to prevent negative interactions between the tiger and the community, as well as to attempt to steer the protected animal away from residential areas. “We have deployed a team to handle the emergence of a Sumatran tiger in East Aceh Regency. The team has also checked the location and conducted patrols around the area where the tiger appeared,” he said. Previously, a Sumatran tiger was reported to have appeared around a residential area in Alur Merbo Hamlet, Pante Kera Village, Simpang Jernih District, East Aceh Regency, on Monday (3/8). To prevent negative interactions with the Sumatran tiger, he reminded residents not to carry out activities in plantations alone, but rather in groups. He also advised against activities too late in the afternoon, as tigers are typically active from 5 p.m. to 6 a.m. Western Indonesia Time. “We also urge the community to regularly clear their plantations because tigers hide in bushes. And not to set traps that could trigger conflicts leading to the death of this protected animal,” he said. According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) Red List, the Sumatran tiger is a species found only on the island of Sumatra and is classified as critically endangered, facing a high risk of extinction in the wild. The agency also stressed that capturing, injuring, killing, storing, possessing, keeping, transporting, and trading protected wildlife, whether alive or dead, is prohibited. Furthermore, setting traps, poison, or high-voltage electric fences that can cause the death of protected wildlife is illegal. All such illegal acts are subject to criminal sanctions in accordance with the law. In addition, other illegal activities can also lead to conflicts between wildlife, particularly Sumatran tigers, and humans. Such conflicts result in economic losses and even fatalities, affecting both humans and the survival of the wildlife.