Wednesday 13 February 2008

"Successive surveys continue to show that Sumatran tigers are being sold body part by body part into extinction," said Heather Sohl, Wildlife Trade Officer, WWF-UK.

"This is an enforcement crisis. If Indonesian authorities need enforcement help from the international community they should ask for it. If not they should demonstrate they are taking enforcement seriously," she explained.

The survey, The tiger trade revisited in Sumatra, Indonesia, found that tiger body parts, including canine teeth, claws, skin pieces, whiskers and bones, were on sale in at least one in ten of 326 retail outlets surveyed during 2006 in 28 cities and towns across Sumatra in Indonesia.

"Sadly, the decline in availability appears to be due only to the dwindling number of tigers left in the wild," said Julia Ng, Programme Officer with TRAFFIC Southeast Asia and lead author of the survey.

Outlets included goldsmiths, souvenir and traditional Chinese medicine shops, and antique and precious stone vendors.

The survey conservatively estimates that 23 tigers were killed to supply the products seen, based on the number of canine teeth on sale.

All of TRAFFIC's surveys have indicated that Medan, the capital of North Sumatra province, and Pancur Batu, a smaller town situated about an hour from Medan, are the main hubs for the trade of Tiger parts.

Deforestation threat to tigers


Sumatra's remaining few tigers are also under threat from rampant deforestation by the pulp and paper and palm oil industries. The combined threats of habitat loss and illegal trade – unless tackled immediately – will be the death knell for Indonesia's tigers.

The Sumatran tiger is already listed as critically endangered on IUCN's red list of threatened species, the highest category of threat before extinction in the wild.

The report recommends that resources and effort should be concentrated on effective enforcement to combat the trade by arresting dealers and suppliers. Trade hotspots should be continually monitored and all intelligence be passed to the enforcement authorities for action. Those found guilty of trading in tiger and other protected wildlife should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

"The Sumatran tiger population is estimated to be fewer than 400 to 500 individuals. It doesn't take an expert to work out that the Sumatran tiger will disappear like the Javan and Bali tigers in years to come if the poaching and trade continues," concluded Ng.

TRAFFIC is the wildlife trade monitoring network of WWF and the World Conservation Union, the IUCN.