Foreign role suspected in tiger trade
Haidir Anwar Tanjung, The Jakarta Post, Pekanbaru, Riau
Six animal poachers and brokers were apprehended recently in Indragiri Hulu regency with two dead Sumatran tigers in their possession.
It is thought the tigers were captured in Bukit Tigapuluh National Park in Riau province.
The increased hunting of Sumatran tigers indicates the involvement of international syndicates that are ready to pay high prices for the animal.
Sumatran Tiger Project technical advisor Neil Franklin says a tiger pelt on the domestic market could fetch up to Rp 25 million (US$3,000). Tiger blood, fangs and claws are also in high demand at home.
On the international market, the price of tiger bones, an ingredient in some medicinal concoctions, could reach $2,000 per kilogram on the black market.
Up to 10 kilograms of bones can be obtained from a tiger aged seven to 10 years.
It is little wonder then that Sumatran tigers are unceasingly hunted down for the sake of business as their bones alone can be worth up to Rp 288 million per tiger.
Price become higher once the bones are turned into powdered form, Franklin told The Jakarta Post in Rengat, the capital of Indragiri Hulu -- some 300 kilometers east of Pekanbaru, Riau
The British-born expert estimates that there are only between 400 and 500 Sumatran tigers left in the wild.
Besides being hunted by poachers, their natural habitat is dwindling due to illegal logging. Some 100 of them live in forests that span only about 100 hectares. It is estimated that there are only around 40 tigers left in Bukit Tigapuluh Park.
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) held a three-day meeting from March 16 in Switzerland to discuss Sumatran tigers. It concluded that the species is critically endangered due to poaching and illegal logging.
Franklin said that the arrest of the six suspects illustrated the country's commitment to saving the Sumatran tigers from extinction. He added that non-governmental organizations in Indonesia should unite to support the preservation of Sumatran tigers.
He said the habitats of tigers began shrinking when forests in Sumatra were divided into lots for forest concessions and agricultural projects. Poaching also increased at around that time.
Illegal international networks also made claims that tiger bones had remedial qualities, though this has not been proven.
The scarcer tigers become, the higher the price will rise.
"The syndicates rake in huge profits while poachers earn only a little. If tigers become extinct, mark my words, there will be more claims that cause the decimation of other animal species," Franklin said.
He alleged that Singapore, Korea, Hong Kong and China were among the countries involved in the illegal tiger business. Ports that are quite near to Singapore are used to export the tiger parts.
For instance, in Riau, the smugglers of tiger skins and bones could make use of timber freight ships plying the Dumai- or Batam-Singapore route. Other ports include Tanjung Perak in Surabaya and several other ports nearby.
World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) data reveals that 21 tigers were poached in the Bukit Tigapuluh National Park alone in the past three years, according to WWF project executive Yuyu Arlan.
She said the figure was considered too high compared to the remaining tiger population. Every year, at least seven tigers are killed by poachers.
"In the past three years alone, more than 40 tigers were killed outside the Bukit Tigapuluh area. So, the total number of tigers killed in Riau could reach 65," she said.