Suspected killer tiger 'held' in Taman Safari

BOGOR (JP): A Sumatran tiger believed to have devoured two people in Lampung is now in a cage in Taman Safari.

The male tiger, aged about three years, was trapped in a Lampung jungle Tuesday and shipped Wednesday to Taman Safari in Cisarua, about 80 kilometers south of Jakarta.

It was caught in a 20,000-hectare forest reserve in Simpang Talang Ciamis, West Lampung -- 150 kilometers from Bandar Lampung -- on a truck guarded by armed police and soldiers.

Lampung forest authorities said it was one of seven or eight wild tigers that often encroached on plantations and residential areas because their habitat was dwindling.

Named after one of its captors, Udung is in the park's newest corner -- a tiger breeding ground with 19 Sumatran tigers.

The tiger is 98 centimeter tall and weighs 87 kilograms. It measures 2.23 meters from its head to the tip of its tail. Its cage is three meters wide, four meter long and two meters high.

The tiger had a thorough medical check-up after being tranquilized yesterday.

Udung had a blood sample taken, his fleas combed out, his eyes examined, food remnants removed from his fangs, his blood pressure measured and had a registration number tattooed on his left thigh.

Veterinarians said Udung was in excellent health.

Whether Udung was the tiger which ate two Lampung villagers is hard to prove and this has been the source of many jokes among handlers and visitors.

"Let's not treat Udung as if he is the killer. He is now only a suspect. A trial by the press should not happen," one television journalist quipped.

Veterinarian Sabdi H. Aliambar said "we should not violate his rights or he'll go to the Human Rights Commission."

"We'll send the food bits left on its teeth to the police forensic lab to determine if he has eaten people," medical team member Ligaya Tumbelaka joked.

News about killer tigers roaming residential areas has scared residents in Talang Ciamis, Talang Lima, and Cangkaan villages who squat near the protected forest.

The mauling of two villagers by Sumatran tigers was been heavily publicized.

The first victim was a 40-year-old women who worked for the state-owned Inhutani forestry company in Talang Lima. She was eaten alive.

The second victim was a 50-year-old villager who was attacked while reaping coffee in a protected forest in Cangkaan. Both attacks happened last month.

Experts estimate there are about 500 Sumatran tigers in the wild. They are listed as endangered and a protected species.

Taman Safari's managing director, Jansen Manansang, said the tigers went on the rampage because their habitat was being destroyed.

"Locals should avoid squatting in the protected forest because it is the one place left where the tigers live," he said. (aan)