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Rare three-legged tiger photographed in Sumatra mongabay.com July 6, 2007
WWF says the rare tiger likely escaped from a snare. The big cat seems otherwise healthy. The Sumatran tiger is the most critically subspecies of endangered tiger, with fewer than 400 individuals left in Sumatra, it last remaining refuge in the wild. Habitat loss and poaching threaten to send the tiger the way of Bali tiger (Panthera tigris balica) and the Java tiger (Panthera tigris sondaica), tiger subspecies that were driven to extinction in 1925 and 1972, respectively.
"It's particularly upsetting that this happened inside a national park, where tigers are supposed to enjoy protection," said WWF tiger biologist Sunarto. "This tiger looks like he's in good condition in our photos, but his future is uncertain. The Sumatran tiger population is at such low levels, we can't afford to lose even one individual to a snare." WWF anti-poaching teams have confiscated 23 tiger-specific snares from Tesso Nilo National Park, Rimbang Baling Wildlife Reserve, and surrounding areas since 2005. Tesso Nilo is believed to be home to five tigers. Comments? News options News index | RSS | News Feed Advertisements: Organic Apparel from Patagonia | Insect-repelling clothing |
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