Sumatran Tiger Found Dead, Tiger Fetuses Found in Jar—Five Arrested for Poaching: Report

Wire Service
By Wire Service
December 9, 2019International
share
Sumatran Tiger Found Dead, Tiger Fetuses Found in Jar—Five Arrested for Poaching: Report
A Sumatran Tiger in a file photo. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

Five people in Indonesia have been arrested for poaching a protected Sumatran Tiger, after authorities discovered a dead tiger with four of its fetuses in a jar, state media news agency Antara has reported.

A team made up of police and officials from the Environment and Forestry Ministry were tipped off about suspected poaching by locals in Teluk Binjai Village, in the country’s Pelalawan District on the island of Sumatra, the ministry told Antara.

They arrested three suspects on Dec. 7 and found the four fetuses being kept in a plastic jar. Later, two more suspects were arrested by officials.

A piece of adult tiger skin was also confiscated in Pangkalan Lesung Village as part of the operation.

The suspects face a maximum of five years in prison and a $7,100 (100 million rupiah) fine.

Sumatran tigers are critically endangered. As recently as 1978 more than 1,000 lived on Sumatra, but due to deforestation and poaching their numbers have dropped to around 400, charities including the WWF estimate.

According to TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring arm of WWF and IUCN, poachers kill at least 40 Sumatran tigers per year.

2019 CNN Trademark

ntd newsletter icon
Sign up for NTD Daily
What you need to know, summarized in one email.
Stay informed with accurate news you can trust.
By registering for the newsletter, you agree to the Privacy Policy.
Comments