Carry Out Monitoring, Ministry Of Transportation Detects 42 Sumatran Tigers In 3 Bengkulu Nature Bengkulu

Capture an image of Sumatran tiger activity from a camera trap in the Bengkulu area. BETWEEN THE ANTARA/HO-Kemenhut

The Ministry of Forestry (Kemenhut) cooperates with conservation partners to monitor Sumatran tigers or the Sumatran tigris tigris in the Bengkulu landscape area.

Head of the Bengkulu-Lampung Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA) Himawan Sasongko revealed the results of surveillance with camera traps and field patrols during the 2020-2025 period showed 42 individuals in three main landscapes.

"This result shows that the Seblat area is still an important habitat for Sumatran tigers and other wildlife that play a role in maintaining the balance of the ecosystem," he said in a statement, Monday, August 4, which was confiscated by Antara.

In a survey conducted in March-May 2025 in the Seblat area, the team managed to record 1,860 photos of the incident from 16 camera traps installed for 52 days.

The footage, continued Himawan, shows the activity of endangered animals in the area as well as the presence of various other animals, such as tapir (Tapirus indicus), Sumatran elephant (Elephas maximus sumatranus), tree branches (Neofelis diardi), and various other forest animals.

As a verification effort, the Bengkulu-Lampung BKSDA together with local governments, community organizations, and conservation partners held discussions on groups including "Verification of Sumatran Tiger Data". The discussion aims to ensure the accuracy of data on tiger distribution in Bengkulu Province as the basis for preparing a follow-up plan for future conservation.

Although these findings are good news, he said, the threat to the preservation of the Sumatran tiger is still high, ranging from poaching, forest additions, to conflicts with humans due to natural habitat shrinkage.

Therefore, cross-party collaboration in maintaining the forest area and tiger habitat is an important need.

"The Sumatran tiger is a key species. Protecting them means maintaining the health of the Sumatra forest ecosystem. This monitoring data will be an important foothold in designing a more targeted and effective protection strategy as well as revealing the presence of these animals in southern Bengkulu Province to the Lampung border," he said.

This monitoring effort is a joint commitment to ensure that the Sumatran tiger remains sustainable in its natural habitat, while increasing public awareness of the importance of forest and wildlife conservation.