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 Only
about 400 Sumatran tigers may remain in the wild. Since 1995,
the Minnesota Zoo, supported by the Tiger Foundation (Canada)
and the Sumatran Tiger Trust (UK), has conducted a long-term field
study of wild Sumatran tigers in southern Sumatra using camera
traps and other techniques to assess the status of tigers and
their prey.
In the first three years the project focused on defining the
conservation requirements of wild tigers in lowland rain forest
habitat, where they live in the forest, what they like to eat,
and what problems they face from humans.
Over the next three years the project began identifying the remaining
tiger populations throughout Sumatra and the threats to these
populations. Components of the project include undercover investigation
of tiger trafficking, anti-poaching patrols, and community conservation
programs in local villages.
Current efforts are focusing on training more effective anti-poaching
teams, prosecuting poachers and convincing Indonesians to be more
concerned about the plight of their only remaining tiger subspecies.
Despite the economic and political crisis that's rocking Indonesia
which has led to increased poaching, the Sumatran Tiger Conservation
Program has developed comprehensive plans to reverse the tigers'
decline.
Learn
more about the Zoo's conservation programs in Indonesia
Sumantran
tiger research (link opens a page on the Zoo-hosted Tiger
Information Center website)
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