Wednesday September 3, 2008 MYT 8:46:14 PM
Source: Malaysian Star
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP): Illegal tiger traders are feeling the heat in Indonesia. Four people were arrested last week for selling parts of the giant cats — from bones and skins to teeth, said Noviar Andayani, an official with the Wildlife Conservation Society, which jointly carried out the raid with local authorities.
That brought the number of busts in the last three months to 10, he said, equal the total amount for the previous three years.
The Sumatran tiger, or Panthera tigris sumatrae, is the world’s most critically endangered tiger subspecies. Wildlife officials estimate fewer than 400 remain in the wild, compared to around 1,000 in the 1970s.
The tigers’ diminishing population is largely blamed on poaching and the destruction of their forest habitat for palm oil and wood pulp plantations.
The latest raid was carried out on Aug. 26 in Aceh province, on the westernmost tip of Sumatra island, the Wildlife Conservation Society said in a statement, calling the arrests part of stepped up efforts by authorities to crack down on the trade.
Entries (RSS)