Remote Indonesian villagers who believed a shapeshifter was hiding out in their community killed a rare tiger.
Conservation officials said that the villagers then hung the Sumatran tiger’s body from the beams of a public gathering space in the city.
“After killing the animal, the locals hung up its body for display. It’s very regrettable.”
There are believed to be fewer than 400 Sumatran tigers left in the world.
The tiger was sleeping under a resident’s stilt house when it was attacked.
Villagers surrounded the animals and plunged spears repeatedly into the tiger’s abdomen.
“The last of Indonesia’s tigers—as few as 400 today—are holding on for survival in the remaining patches of forests on the island of Sumatra. Accelerating deforestation and rampant poaching mean this noble creature could end up like its extinct Javan and Balinese relatives,” the group stated.
“In Indonesia, anyone caught hunting tigers could face jail time and steep fines. But despite increased efforts in tiger conservation—including strengthening law enforcement and antipoaching capacity—a substantial market remains in Sumatra and the rest of Asia for tiger parts and products. Sumatran tigers are losing their habitat and prey fast, and poaching shows no sign of decline.”
Sianturi, of the Natural Resources Conservation Agency, said that her group is working on proving that the villagers traded some of the tiger’s body parts.
Body parts missing included canine teeth, claws, and skin off its face and tail.
