Fidelis E. Satriastanti

A wild Sumatran Tiger captured by conservation officers. Illegal trade and habitat loss have left the species fighting for its life. (Photo: Irwin Fedriansya, AP)

Authorities Say Poachers Who Killed Tiger at Jambi Zoo Were Professionals

The killing of a rare Sumatran tiger at Jambi’s Taman Rimbo Zoo over the weekend will be thoroughly investigated, authorities said on Sunday.

Sheila, who had been the only Sumatran tiger remaining at the zoo, was killed and skinned on zoo grounds after being drugged by poachers early on Saturday, leaving virtually nothing behind except the innards and a few ribs of the animal, which is critically endangered in the wild.

“There is no doubt that the killers were professionals because they did their job very cleanly, taking off the skin in the enclosure rather than dragging the 100-kilogram animal out, which could have attracted attention,” said Didy Wurdjanto, the head of the Jambi Natural Resources Conservation Center.

Didy said the killers were also well aware of the tiger’s worth on the black market, with body parts such as the animal’s bones in high demand for use in traditional local and Chinese remedies as a pain killer or aphrodisiac. Even the blood was thought to have been collected in plastic bags to be sold.

“They were skillful because if there was one scratch on the skin, it wouldn’t be worth much,” he said, adding that the skin could fetch between Rp 35 million ($3,500) and Rp 45 million on the black market.

Authorities suspect the killers entered the zoo by climbing through a gutter running past its lightly guarded main gate and went to the tiger enclosure located just 10 to 15 meters from the main road.

They are then though to have climbed onto the roof of the enclosure, from where they threw in some poisoned bait.

Didy said the police had yet to determine the kind of poison used to kill the animal.

He said the incident was an insult to Jambi residents because Sheila, who was donated by Jakarta’s Ragunan Zoo in 1992, was the centerpiece of the zoo’s conservation education efforts.

“I just can’t bear the thought that this could be a new trend in the illegal wildlife trade, [that poachers] are now going after tame tigers in zoos rather than in forests,” Didy said. “The demand for tigers is increasing and the price is getting higher because there are so few left.”

Adrianis, the head of Taman Rimbo Zoo, said that despite the lack of security, zoo officials never considered the tiger to be in any danger.

“Apart from her keepers, there were obviously not many people wanting to go near the tiger, and even the police hesitated about going near the cage,” she said.

Adrianis refused to speculate on whether zoo staff could have been involved in the crime. “We just hope that the police can catch these people because tigers are a national asset.”

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