Tiger conservation project manager at the Indonesian office of the Zoological Society of London, Yoan Dinata said shrinking habitat in Sumatra is leading to more human-tiger conflicts.
In 2016, only 23 pockets of Sumatran tiger populations existed on the island, down from 29 in 2010.
Only 600 Sumatran tigers are estimated to still exist in the wild, as they have been impacted by the massive expansion of palm oil plantations in Sumatra.
Earlier this month, a tiger was “brutally” killed in North Sumatra as residents believed it was a ‘siluman’ or a shape-shifter.