Javan Tiger Not Yet Extinct, Found Roaming Within Indonesian Territory

The Javan tiger was declared extinct and placed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List in 2008. However, in a new finding, it has been suggested that the species may still be alive and roaming the deep forests of Sukabumi, West Java.

Reports of living Javan tigers have actually been heard frequently since the animal was categorised as extinct by the IUCN, although there has been no strong evidence to substantiate these reports until now.

Similar findings were reported by several residents of Cipeundeuy Village, South Sukabumi, back in 2019. At that time, villagers reported finding footprints, claw marks, and a single strand of fur.

A research team subsequently conducted DNA analysis on these physical evidences. The results proved that the found strand of fur was identical to and originated from a Javan tiger.

The study examined mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA)—maternal genetic material located outside the nucleus—from the found hair sample. They then compared it with tiger hair samples that have been stored in museums since 1930.

Researchers also performed comparisons with hair samples from several other tiger subspecies as well as the Javan leopard (Panthera pardus melas).

Nevertheless, in a scientific report published in the journal Oryx, researchers noted that further research is still required to confirm whether the Javan tiger is truly not extinct.

“Whether the Javan tiger is still living in the wild must be confirmed with further genetic and field research,” said the research team.

The possibility that the Javan tiger is still surviving has re-energised wildlife protection activists in Indonesia. The Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK), in a Reuters report in 2024, stated its readiness to follow up on these findings.

Reuters noted that the ministry will install camera traps and expand the search for DNA traces in the field. The government is also prepared to consult directly with genetic experts.

For context, the Javan tiger is one of three tiger subspecies native to Indonesia. Currently, the Bali tiger (Panthera tigris balica) was also declared extinct in 2013, leaving the Sumatran tiger (Panthera tigris sumatrae) as the only surviving tiger subspecies in Indonesia.