BANDA ACEH – A Sumatran tiger believed to have attacked and injured farmers in Indonesia's westernmost province of Aceh was captured on Saturday after a days-long hunt.
It comes after two separate tiger attacks in the same Sumatran town over the past week left at least four people seriously injured.
The animal entered a trap set by conservationists inside a forest reserve early Saturday in the town of Kluet Tengah in southern Aceh.
It was found to have several wounds on its body.
"One of the victims said he injured the animal when he was being attacked and was defending himself. There are several wounds on the tiger's body including on its face, neck and leg," Agus Rianto, the head of Aceh's conservation agency, told AFP.
A picture taken by police showed the big cat lying inside a cage with a gaping wound on its face.
A major hunt for the tiger was launched last week after four locals were attacked inside a reserve in Kluet Tengah, leaving one of them in critical condition.
Soldiers, conservation officials and firefighters were all deployed for the search.
Several days later, two farmers working illegally inside the same protected forest were also attacked and seriously injured.
Officials have not yet determined if the attacks were carried out by the same tiger.
Sumatran tigers are considered critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature with fewer than 400 believed to remain in the wild.
They are often targeted by poachers while rampant deforestation has significantly reduced their habitat.
Rianto said the tiger captured on Saturday will undergo medical treatment and would be released into a nearby national park once it had recovered from its injuries. – AFP, February 4, 2023
