Sumatran Tiger Kills 12-Year-Old Boy in Riau, Authorities Step Up Vigilance
A 12-year-old boy was reported killed after being attacked by a Sumatran tiger in Pelalawan Regency, Riau, this week.
The head of the Riau Natural Resources Conservation Centre (BBKSDA), Supartono, said the incident occurred in the early hours of Tuesday (7 July) within a Forest Utilisation Business Permit for Industrial Plantation Forest (PBPH-HTI) area in Sungai Ara village, Pelalawan district.
Quoting Antara, Supartono said that based on the investigation, the victim was attacked at around 04:30 Western Indonesia Time (WIB) while outside the bathroom of the workers’ camp. Before the attack, the boy had been accompanying his older sibling to wash cutlery at the camp’s bathroom.
In response to the report, BBKSDA Riau installed camera traps at the location as a precautionary measure.
“Currently the team is installing camera traps around the location of the incident,” Supartono said in Pekanbaru on Friday (10 July).
He explained that during the incident, the victim was suddenly dragged by a tiger believed to have entered through the protective fence at the rear of the camp, which was open due to damage.
The victim was later found around 10 metres behind the camp with wounds to the left and right sides of his neck.
According to the team’s field measurements, he continued, the incident site was located at the PBPH-HTI workers’ camp, about 5.3 kilometres from the Zamrud National Park area and roughly 5.7 kilometres from the Riau Ecosystem Restoration (RER) area. Administratively, it falls within Sungai Ara and Pangkalan Terap villages in Pelalawan district.
Meanwhile, the identification results found traces of a Sumatran tiger’s presence around the workers’ camp. The footprints discovered measured around 16 cm in length and 15 cm in width, with the longest stride distance between the front and rear feet of around 120 cm.
As an anticipatory measure, the BBKSDA Riau team urged all residents, workers, and companies operating around Sumatran tiger habitats to heighten their vigilance and avoid activities alone, especially from night until the early hours.
“The BBKSDA Riau team will continue to take measured handling measures together with the relevant parties, while prioritising human safety as well as the conservation of the Sumatran tiger as a protected species,” said Supartono.