World experts meet to find ways to save Sumatran tigers
BOGOR (JP): World and local tiger experts, zoologists and researchers ended a two-day discussion here yesterday with a commitment to preserve the endangered Sumatran tigers (Panthera tigris sumatrae).
At the meeting, called Masterplan for Sumatran Tigers Project, were Tiger Global Coordinator, Ron Tilson; Forest Protection and Nature Conservation officer, Subiyanto; chairman of the Indonesian Zoo Association, Lukito Daryadi; Sumatran Tiger Project field coordinator, Neil Franklin and Indonesia's coordinator for the Sumatran Tiger Project, Jansen Manansang.
"It's true that a rough estimation of the Sumatran tigers is that there are still between 400 and 500, but we should also think about their future," Ron from the Minnesota Zoo in the United States told The Jakarta Post.
According to Jansen Manansang, managing director of Safari Park which sponsored the event, the effort to immediately protect and preserve the Sumatran tigers is a no-bargaining effort. The meeting, scheduled to end yesterday, was held at the Safari Park, Cisarua, Bogor.
"We should do it now, or our country and the world as well will lose a third rare tiger subspecies," said Jansen.
According to The Encyclopedia of Mammals, tigers have eight subspecies, the Indian tiger (Panthera tigris tigris), Indochinese tiger (Panthera tigris corbetti), Siberian tiger (Panthera tigris altaica), Sumatran tiger, Javan tiger (Panthera tigris sondaica), Balinese tiger (Panthera tigris balica), South Chinese tiger (Panthera tigris amoyensis) and Caspian tiger (Panthera tigris virgata).
The latter three, the book says, have become extinct in the past 100 years. But many tiger experts and zoologists believe that Javan tigers are also gone from their habitat, following the last of their brothers in Bali.
"That's why experts, zoologists, researchers and related government officers are here today for a two-day meeting to adopt the best possible methodology to carry out the project," said Jansen.
Meeting venue
Held at the Safari Garden hotel, the meeting of about 60 participants was opened by Director General for Forest Protection and Nature Conservation Soemarsono.
The so-called Sumatran Tiger Project is a joint project sponsored by several parties, including Indonesia's forestry ministry, Indonesian Zoo Association, Safari Park Indonesia, Save the Tiger Fund and ESSO.
According to Jansen, the meeting that ended yesterday is a follow-up to a series of activities designed for the save the Sumatran tigers masterplan project, covering staff training, medical treatment, tattooing, training studbook keepers, tiger's individual records and setting up a gene resource bank.
"Most of the works have been completed since 1992 and at the current stage we're discussing how we can get healthy and long- living tigers by breeding, and the rules for tigers at zoos," he said.
The meeting is to discuss effective ways of educating people, especially villagers and hunters, about the rare tigers, he said. (bsr)