Rare Javanese tiger sighted

JEMBER, East Java: A group of fishermen may be among the few people to have spotted the Javanese tiger in the last 20 years.

They reported being stalked and attacked by what they described as a tiger during a recent camping trip to Alas Purwo, Banyuwangi.

Head of the East Java Natural Resources Conservation Agency Sarkan Teniarihadi said that the report about the attack on the fishermen was a piece of good news in that it has revived hope that the Javanese tiger (Pantheratigris Sondaica) has not become extinct as feared.

Sarkan said the description given by the campers fit the characteristic appearance of that species of tiger.

According to the last count, there were only four Javanese tigers left in 1976. Most experts believed that their days were numbered at that time.

One of the fishermen, identified as Ansori, was attacked and dragged for a distance of about five meters before his friends could scare it away.

The site of the attack was on the slope of Mt. Sembulungan close to Muncar beach. The area is part of the Meru Betiri National Park, an area set aside to conserve the remaining habitat of the tigers.

Sarkan said his office is planning to mobilize five teams of six people each in December or January to locate the tigers. (emb)