BKSDA-Sintas monitor Batang Palupuh, Agam, condition after tiger evacuation

Lubuk Basung (ANTARA) – The West Sumatra Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA Sumatera Barat) in collaboration with the Sintas Indonesian Foundation has used a thermal drone to monitor the presence of Sumatran tigers at the site where the animal entered a trap enclosure in Batang Palupuh, Palupuh District, Agam Regency. Ade Putra, head of Conservation Resort II Maninjau, BKSDA Sumbar, in Lubuk Basung, said the monitoring using the thermal drone was conducted after a female Sumatran tiger entered the trap pen in Batang Palupuh, Nagari Koto Rantang, Palupuh District, Agam Regency, on Friday (22 May). ‘The monitoring using the thermal drone owned by the Sintas Indonesian Foundation took place on Friday (22/5) at 22:00 WIB and on Saturday (23/5) at 09:00 WIB,’ he said. He added the monitoring would continue for several days into the night and morning to facilitate tracking the tiger’s movements. The technology used is helpful, enabling monitoring of the animal’s presence from the heat emitted by the protected species. ‘This is to determine whether other individuals of the tiger are still in the area, because a thermal drone can detect the animal from its body heat,’ he said. He also noted that BKSDA Sumbar had installed treap cameras or traps at several points around the site where the tiger entered the trap. Sumbar BKSDA officers together with the Sintas Indonesian Foundation and Pagari conducted a sweep in the area. If monitoring ceases, then conflict management or negative interactions between tigers and people would be halted. ‘There are no signs of Sumatran tiger presence following the evacuation of the animal,’ he said. Meanwhile, Team Leader of the Sintas Indonesian Foundation, Sepriyoga Virdana Khan, said the thermal drone had not detected signs of a Sumatran tiger during two monitoring sessions. ‘There have been no signs of tiger presence at Batang Palupuh, Nagari Koto Rantang, Palupuh District,’ he said. He acknowledged that the thermal drone had previously monitored tiger presence in Tigo Nagari, Pasaman Regency, Nagari Pasia Laweh and Koto Tabang, Palupuh District. ‘These three locations previously showed clear movement of the animal by its body heat,’ he said.