Why are tigers declared protected animals in Indonesia?

JAKARTA – The Sumatran tiger as the only tiger subspecies still living in Indonesia is declared a protected animal. This is partly because the number of Sumatran tigers both in the wild and in captivity is around 400.

Officially, the Indonesian government has designated the Sumatran tiger as a protected animal under the legal umbrella of Minister of Environment and Forestry Regulation Number: P.106/MENLHK/SETJEN/KUM.1/6/2018.

Apart from its population continuing to decline to the point where it is threatened with extinction, there are at least two other reasons why the Sumatran tiger has received the above privilege. Namely, there is still hunting and illegal trade and is threatened with extinction due to habitat destruction and reduced prey numbers.

In terms of distribution, Sumatran tigers are only found on the island of Sumatra, especially in lowland forests up to the mountains. Its distribution area is at an altitude of 0 – 2,000 meters above sea level.

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Sumatran tigers like areas with wet conditions, such as swamp areas and around rivers because tigers really like water to play and swim. Apart from that, forest borders and community cultivated areas are also preferred habitats for Sumatran tigers. This area is usually inhabited by many types of animals that can be preyed upon, such as wild boar, antelope, deer and mouse deer.

In 1978 it was estimated that the number of Sumatran tigers was around 1,000. According to current estimates the remaining number is 500 individuals. It is estimated that 400 live in main conservation areas spread across Sumatra, while another 100 live in unprotected areas.

The main distribution of Sumatran tigers is in northern Sumatra and in the mountainous areas of southwest Sumatra. The distribution of the Sumatran tiger population is in at least 18 areas
conservation and other forest areas that have the status of protected forests and forests
production, which are separate from each other.

Several conservation areas are available Sumatran tiger namely Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park, Way Kambas National Park, Bukit Balai Rejang Selatan, Kerinci Seblat National Park, Riau (Tesso Nilo Landscape – Bukit Tigapuluh), Senepis – Buluhala, Jambi (PT. Asiatic Persada), West Sumatra Andalas University, Batang Girls National Park and Leuser Ecosystem.

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