Sumatran Tiger Trust Conservation Program

To help save Sumatran tigers from extinction in Indonesia

In the last century, the world tiger population has declined rapidly and four out of the eight sub-species are now extinct. The decline in numbers is due to habitat loss and fragmentation of their home ranges and also poaching for illegal global trade in their body parts. The Sumatran tiger is critically endangered, with around 325 left in the wild with approximately 293 individuals living within protected areas such as national parks. They are classified as a conservation umbrella species, which means that protecting the tiger will help to protect a diverse range of other species, too.

Although a high proportion of Sumatran tigers live within national parks, where it is against the law to log trees and poach the animals, the areas were mostly unmonitored and these activities continued, reducing the number of tigers and other species drastically. A team of Indonesians (PKHS) started to patrol the forests in agreement with the national park's Ministry of Forest and the number of individuals in the teams and the locations of the work have grown since then, forming the Sumatran Tiger Trust (STT) Conservation Program. 

The objectives of the program are:

• To help save from extinction any sub-species of tiger, but in particular the Sumatran tiger.
• Support specific collaborative projects to study, manage and protect tigers in the wild and any recognised captive breeding and management initiative that has the long-term objective of maintaining or enhancing the tiger's genetic diversity.
• To provide information on the current census of the distribution and status of wild tigers, their habitat, prey and threats, of all tiger sub-species.
• To inform the public and interested parties of the plight of the Sumatran tiger.

Due to the continual monitoring of the Sumatran tiger at Bukit Tigapuluh and Way Kambas national parks, we are able to continually monitor individual tigers and track the relationships between individuals. We regularly have updates regarding the number of criminal perpetrators and their court sentences for illegally logging and/or poaching attempts from the local courts in Sumatra. The results for many aspects are ongoing and help to decide the progression and development of the program, with regular meetings between the PKHS and the STT trustees to ensure success and effective knowledge transfer between all parties involved.

WAZA Conservation Project 12013 is implemented by the Sumatran Tiger Trust (STT) and Program Konservasi Harimau Sumatera (PKHS), with support provided by South Lakes Wild Animal Park and Bioparc Doué La Fontaine.

Visit www.tigertrust.info.