A shocking report from Sumatra reminds me how important Harapan Rainforest is for tigers. In late August, a female tiger in Jambi zoo (less than three hours from Harapan Rainforest) was killed by poachers. They broke in to the zoo at night, poisoned her, and took her skin and body parts to presumably be sold abroad. Jambi is close to Singapore, and from there it is easy to access the lucrative traditional medicine markets throughout east Asia. Her skin will fetch around £600, a tooth £40, a piece of whisker £8-18 and a rib £15. This is the third such incident in zoos across Indonesia in the last four months.
It reminds us how important Harapan Rainforest is in providing a haven for some of the last of the 300-500 Sumatran tigers in the wild, but also of our challenge in securing that haven against an increasingly ruthless trade in tiger parts (and those from other important wildlife). Of course, the real tragedy is that wildlife body parts are totally ineffective in treating any ailment, and the deaths are always completely in vain.
Tropical Forest Conservation Manager, RSPB