Sumatran Tigers Again Caught In Livestock In South Solok, Residents Asked Not To Go To The Field

Sumatran tiger/ Photo: Antara

Sumatran tigers are suspected of again grazing on cattle belonging to residents of Nagari Lubuk Gadang Utara, Sangir District, South Solok Regency, West Sumatra, Saturday, March 25, so that people do not dare to go to the fields.

"The location of the cows that were attacked by tigers is close to residential areas. There are also many fields in the area," said Acting Mayor of Nagari Lubuk Gadang Utara Joni Pardilo, Antara, Sunday, March 26.

He said that the owner of the livestock, Siyo, heard the sound of a suspected tiger shortly after his cow was attacked on Saturday at around 15.45 WIB. The cow was herded in a desert adjacent to the forest, not far from his house.

"It is customary for the people here if the cows are herded in the grass, then take them home in the afternoon," he said.

He said that on the dead cow's body there were only bite marks and no body parts were eaten.

Currently, he added, Jorong Bariang residents are eviction using the sound of an air rifle.

"I also urge residents not to go to the fields for a while and not to worry," he said.

He revealed that local residents are used to seeing tiger tracks.

"From residents' information, they are used to seeing tiger tracks. But this one is extraordinary because two tigers have appeared even in different places," he said.

The appearance of the Sumatran tiger this time is the second time in the round March 2023. The Sumatran tiger had previously pounced on the buffalo of Koto Rambah residents, about 3 kilometers from Jorong Bariang, last Sunday, early March.

Seeing this condition, he said that his party wanted to consult with the West Sumatra Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA).

"Actually, what is the problem. The information is that the BKSDA came to the location of the conflict today," he said.

From the previous conflict, he said, his party received information from residents that the BKSDA provided a solution by making communal cages.

Meanwhile, the Director of the NGO Indonesian Conservation Society (ICS), which is engaged in natural conservation, Salpa Yanri, revealed that there are a number of possibilities that cause the Sumatran tiger to leave the forest.

The first, he said, was a threat from within the forest, either from humans or fellow wildlife. Then there are newcomers so that they lose in competing which makes them have to leave their area of fatigue.

"While the third, the tiger is teaching its cubs to hunt," he said.

From information from residents, he said, the cow was only attacked and not eaten. "If the tiger is hungry, prey other than being eaten will also be brought to be stored in a hidden way," he said.

According to him, cows are good prey to teach their children to hunt because they are not wild and easy to donate. "If deer or pigs are wild and run fast. They must also be stalked," he said.

To determine the cause of the tiger leaving the forest, he said, identification must be carried out. "One of them is from the trace. From this trace, it can be seen how many tails, gender, age," he said.

His party, he added, had also been contacted by Wali Nagari Lubuk Gadang Utara to provide input regarding this conflict. "I conveyed that for the time being the livestock herded in the area was brought to a safe village first," he said.

He also asked the Bariang community to expel tigers with sounds such as kentongan, bamboo cannons or others.

ICS based in South Solok, he said, has also provided socialization to a number of areas that have the potential for animal conflicts, especially with tigers, related to the manufacture of cages that are safe from wild animals.

"It's like a cage that is protected by barbed wire or by providing lighting in the cage," he said.