The critically endangered Sumatran tiger is sadly heading towards extinction due to deforestation and poaching, but there’s a glimmer of hope that the imposing carnivore could yet be saved thanks due to the tireless efforts of conservationists.
Back in August, conservation body Forest, Nature, and Environment of Aceh (HAkA), whose mission is to protect and restore the Leuser Ecosystem (a vast area of forest stretching across the Indonesian provinces of Aceh and North Sumatra, the last place on earth where tigers, elephants, rhinos, and orangutans co-exist in the wild), shared a video obtained by a camera trap owned by the Leuser Conservation Forum (FKL) showing a Sumatran tiger being followed by her two cubs.
Yesterday, HAkA shared another video showing the elusive wild creatures, the cubs looking healthy as they adorably tag along with their mother.
While the video fills us with hope regarding the future of the species, poaching remains a serious threat for tigers and other endangered animals in the Leuser Ecosystem. Back in August, HAkA released another video obtained by a camera trap showing an adult Sumatran tiger struggling to walk, most likely after it had managed to break free from a poacher’s snare but had hurt itself in the process.
Researchers reported last month that the Sumatran tiger’s habitat declined by 17 percent between 2010 and 2012, and the population dropped from an estimated 742 to 618 adults in the wild over the same period. The tigers’ habitat loss is mainly caused by the destruction of forests to make way for palm oil plantations.
The other main cause of the Sumatran tiger’s population decline is poaching, driven by a market in the Chinese-speaking world for tiger body parts, thought to boost vitality and virility.
If you’d like to help HAkA protect and restore the Leuser Ecosystem, you can donate to them here.
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