JAKARTA — When scientists made the bombshell announcement in 2017 that the Tapanuli orangutan (Pongo tapanuliensis) was a new species, the apes were immediately put under the global spotlight. With fewer than 800 individuals surviving in a tiny tract of forest in the western part of Indonesia, scientists declared the Tapanuli orangutan as the rarest […]
Tag: Sumatran tiger

Indonesia and Norway give REDD+ deal another go after earlier breakup
JAKARTA — Indonesia has signed a new climate deal with Norway that will see the Nordic country pay the Southeast Asian one to keep its forests standing. The deal comes a year after Indonesia terminated a nearly identical scheme between the two countries over the lack of payments. Land-use change, forest degradation, and deforestation account […]

Satellites show deforestation surging in Indonesia’s Tesso Nilo National Park
PEKANBARU, Indonesia — Reportedly home to 3% of the planet’s mammal species and one of the highest levels of lowland plant diversity known to science, Indonesia’s Tesso Nilo National Park is a sanctum for Sumatra’s wildlife – including critically endangered Sumatran tigers (Panthera tigris sumatrae) and elephants (Elephas maximus sumatranus). But the capacity of Tesso […]

Indonesian official charged, but not jailed, for trading in Sumatran tiger parts
BANDA ACEH, Indonesia — Authorities in Indonesia have charged three men, including a local political leader in Sumatra, with selling body parts from a Sumatran tiger, a critically endangered and protected species. Ahmadi, 41, the former head of Bener Meriah district in Aceh province, was arrested by provincial police along with two alleged accomplices while […]

Three critically endangered Sumatran tigers found dead in traps on Indonesia’s Sumatra island
Authorities announced Monday that three critically endangered Sumatran tigers were found dead after being trapped in traps on Indonesia’s Sumatra island, the latest setback for a species whose numbers are estimated to be about 400. A female and a male tiger were discovered dead Sunday at a palm oil plantation in East Aceh district of […]

Three Snow Leopards Die from Covid at Children’s Zoo
Three endangered snow leopards have died from Covid complications in Nebraska’s Lincoln children’s zoo. Other animals at the zoo are still recovering. The children’s zoo made the announcement on Friday, stating, “Ranney, Everest, and Makalu were beloved by our entire community inside and outside of the zoo. This loss is truly heartbreaking, and we are […]

Starving and injured Sumatran tiger dies in captivity, Indonesian officials report
JAMBI, Indonesia — Conservation authorities in Indonesia have reported the death of a Sumatran tiger captured in October following reports of deadly attacks on people. Officials have linked the death to a suspected local outbreak of African swine fever killing the big cat’s main prey. The adult female Sumatran tiger (Panthera tigris sumatrae) died on […]

Mother tiger and her cubs found dead in Sumatran forest
BANDA ACEH, Indonesia — A mother Sumatran tiger and her two cubs were found dead this week in a snare trap in Indonesia’s westernmost Aceh province. Local people in Buboh, a village in South Aceh, discovered the tiger carcasses on Aug. 24 and reported them to authorities. “The mother was entangled in the neck and […]