Raubkatze wird umgesiedelt: In der Falle: Tigerin sorgt auf Sumatra für Aufregung

A young Sumatran tiger caused a stir in a village on the same-named Indonesian island. The rare animal repeatedly sauntered through residential areas, ripping up goats and allegedly snatching dogs. Authorities eventually set up a trap, in which the rogue cat was captured shortly after. According to the "Kompas" newspaper, reporting on the West Sumatra nature conservation agency BKSDA, the trap was baited with a deceased goat.

Residents heard a metallic clanking only an hour after the trap was set. Upon examining the box trap together with BKSDA staff, they found the tiger inside. The villagers guarded the site throughout the night before the animal was transported away the next morning. Only around 400 individuals remain of the Sumatran tiger (Panthera tigris sumatrae), an already protected species both nationally and internationally.

Estimates suggest there are just about 400 left in the wild. According to the IUCN Red List, the animals are listed as endangered. Other Indonesian subspecies like the Bali tiger and the Java tiger have already gone extinct. Due to diminishing habitats, conflicts with humans are becoming more frequent. In July, a 63-year-old coffee farmer was attacked, killed, and partially eaten by a Sumatran tiger.

His corpse was found near a plantation, showing bite marks on his neck. The captured tiger, believed to be between two and a half to three years old, had been hanging around a primary school and a secondary school, just 50 and 100 meters away, respectively. This prompted measures to relocate the tiger for the safety of both the people and the animal, although it is emphasized as the last resort.

The tiger was uninjured and in good health, according to the authorities, who took blood samples for DNA testing. The feline was then moved to a zoo, while experts searched for a suitable area where the animal could be reintroduced as soon as possible, as "Kompas" reported.