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Kaya Rodrigues

Ms Moss

Pre-AP English

19 February 2018

Bold, Beautiful, and Critically Endangered

On the rainforest floor, an unsuspecting wild boar snorts and rummages through the

crunching leaves for little creatures to devour next. Just a few feet behind, propped up on a

lowland dipterocarp tree branch, through a small, window-like opening in a dark bundle of

foliage and shadow, peers a glowing pair of narrow, golden eyes. Narrowing its eyes and

crouching over, loaded, like a spring about to burst, the Sumatran tiger watches the boar. Just as

soon as he pounces, the boar wrestles in a futile attempt to escape. The tiger devours his meal

and proceeds through the next wall of leaves which, to his surprise, is no longer infinite. Taking

a few steps back, those fierce golden eyes shift from narrow and bold to wide and fearful. He has

to decide - should he take a chance on life and bolt across the edge of the plantation, or should he

stay in this section of the tropical rainforest, unable to move freely and in danger of starvation?

The next cluster of deep green Sumatran foliage is just within reach, so, although it is risky, the

Sumatran tiger takes a chance and skids across the oil-covered and essentially barren ground

underneath the strategically placed oil palm trees and just narrowly misses the lethal gaze of his

biggest threat, a plantation worker.


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(factsofindonesia.com)

Panthera Tigris Sumatrae, ​more commonly known as the Sumatran Tiger, is the smallest

subspecies of tiger in the world. They can weigh up to 310 pounds and can grow to be about 8

feet long, although females are usually smaller than males. Tigers keep their ecosystems in

balance by consuming herbivores. In this way, tigers are vital to their ecosystems because a

balanced herbivore population means that the perfect amount of plant life still survives. Tigers

are solitary ambush predators, meaning that they hunt on their own and rely on sly nature and

strength to capture their prey. In their natural habitats, tigers hunt wild boars, deer, monkeys,

buffalo, sloth bears, leopards, and even crocodiles, although wild boars are the typical prey. They

hunt primarily at night utilizing sight and sound, and blend into their surroundings with their

striped coats. Tigers hunt generally once a week and will consume up to 75 pounds of prey in

one single night (Smithsonian 2).

Following suit in their hunting habits, tigers are solitary creatures except when they are

raising their cubs. Tigers will stay with their mothers, on average, for two years. When they

leave, they establish their own territory. Female tigers tend to gravitate towards the area of their

mother’s territory, whereas male tigers drift farther from their homes. Female tigers are able to
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reproduce around age four, and males, around age five. Females will only release eggs when

mating occurs, usually between November and April. The gestation period is around 100 days

and a tiger will give birth to up to seven cubs per litter. Females are only able to mate again

when their cubs reach independence or if their cubs die of starvation or infanticide. Although

tigers are solitary, they communicate via vocalizations like roaring, grunting, and chuffing, and

signaling territorial boundaries with scent markings and scratches on surrounding trees

(Smithsonian 2).

In order to maintain this stealth and solitude, tigers live in large forest ecosystems. The

Sumatran tiger resides solely in the forests of Indonesia on the island of Sumatra. Sumatran

tigers gravitate towards areas with dense understory cover, higher altitudes, lower rainfall, and

far from prime sources of water. As solitary animals, these creatures have moved to areas

characterized by these qualities not because they are the most suitable areas, but because they are

far from humans; people are beginning to impose on Sumatran forests with plantations.

Plantations are often established on low ground, near water sources, and take away some of the

dense understory cover of the forest foliage. Tigers make an effort to avoid areas with

characteristics of human involvement as they fear for their lives. Not only are human

establishments foreign concepts to the creatures, but tigers often are poached for purposes of

medicine or simply because a human is caught off guard, feeling like they need to defend

themselves against a roaming tiger (Kelly et al).

Tigers find themselves wandering onto plantation sites when they attempt to migrate to

new connected areas of the forest. Because tigers are so secretive, and studies are primarily

conducted to view tiger populations rather than behaviors, it is difficult to comprehend the exact
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reason tigers move such long distances. However, it is known that tigers need passages to roam

from their original location in the forest to their destination, unthreatened. The popular

development of plantations in Sumatra, however, has begun to diminish the safety of these

primary passages for tigers, limiting their territories and, likely, their food sources or sources of

shelter. Plantations in Sumatra that have developed most commonly consist of acacia, palm oil,

rubber, mixed-agriculture, and coconut plantations. Acacia are the most tiger-friendly of the

listed plantations, followed by palm oil; tigers have been seen in these areas attempting to pass to

another part of the forest. Areas such as rubber, mixed-agriculture, and coconut plantations must

require a larger human management and workforce, as tigers do not use these areas as passages

(Kelly et al).

With approximately 400 to 600 still existing in the wild today, the Sumatran tiger is

classified as Critically Endangered, following dangerously closely in the footsteps of relatives in

Java, Bali, and Singapore, who went extinct in the 20th century (Leahy 1). Human beings are the

primary cause of the Sumatran tigers’ endangerment. Over 40 million people live in Sumatra,

making it one of the more densely populated islands of Indonesia (Indahnesia.com). People often

arrive in Sumatra for work on plantations, particularly oil palm plantations. Oil Palm plantations

facilitate the production of palm oil, used in everyday items such as shampoo, soaps, chocolate

and several other items. But, most importantly, oil palm plantations bring in money for big

companies. As a result, human beings continue to impose on Sumatran forest territory, no matter

the detrimental effects it has on the environment (Johnson).


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(​Sumatran forest is felled to make room for another plantation. Photo by Rhett A)

Elaeis guineensis​ - the oil palm - is cause for the fact that Indonesia has the highest rate

of deforestation in the world. Deforestation is, without question, the largest contributing factor to

the loss of tiger habitats. Government policies of transmigration in Indonesia, enforced to move

densely populated and poor communities to sparsely inhabited regions such as Aceh in Sumatra,

are largely cause for the increase in oil palm plantations in Sumatra. Roads and human

settlements placed by these new immigrants interrupt the rainforest landscape and cut off the

aforementioned passages tigers require to expand their territories. Big companies, of course,

ignore the fact that they are taking away opportunities of survival for creatures such as the

Sumatran tiger. In Sumatra, there is a cheap and ready supply of labor, easy access to acres of

land, and the unrivaled productivity of oil palms, as well as a rise in the consumption of oil fats
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in China and South Asia; the economic pulls are far too overpowering for the presently

economically consumed societal mindset (Johnson).

Concerning present efforts to end the deforestation causing major habitat loss, there are

areas in Indonesia called TCLs, or Tiger Conservation Landscapes. Despite the fact that these are

established to save the tigers, in the past 14 years, TCLs have lost 12.5% of their forests.

Additionally, more than 12,000 square km of oil palm and timber production establishments

overlap with 16% of Sumatra’s priority TCLs. Reflecting on these statistics, it is easy to see that

the conversion of natural forest to commercial agricultural goods is an enormous contributor to

habitat loss in Sumatra (Reidinar et al). In relation to habitat loss, it has been made clear that in

the past, there were at least a dozen secure source populations of Sumatran tigers. However, at

the present, there are only two secure populations, located in the Kerinci Seblat National Park

and Gunung Leuser National Park (Leahy). Globally, organizations such as The World Wildlife

Foundation attempt to raise awareness of critically endangered animals, and they try to raise

money for conservation efforts through media campaigns and sales of merchandise in zoos.

There are, however, more local efforts for conservation occurring that do not receive as much

recognition as zoos or the WWF.

One particular activist, Rudi HP, who grew up on the outskirts of Sumatran forests,

managed to secure the removal of an 800 hectare plantation from the Leuser Ecosystem.

Presently, Rudi is a conservation manager for the Leuser Ecosystem Management Authority. The

removal of this large plantation took approximately six months and the owner of the plantation

was angry at Rudi, but it was, nonetheless, a satisfying victory. There are still around 15,000

hectares of palm oil plantations in the Tamiang province of Sumatra alone; Rudi aims to lower
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this number. He hopes to raise local awareness of the issues deforestation causes for the wildlife,

and says “My role is to mobilize their passion and their desire to help. In the next five years, I’d

like to see a total stop to all illegal logging, … settlements, and all roads should be stopped and

restored.” Although efforts take bundles of patience and perseverance, activists like Rudi know

that reducing the detrimental effects that these plantations have on animals is ultimately worth it.

As conservationist Mike Griffiths of the Leuser International Foundation illustrates, “The fallen

palms will lie where they are until they decompose, their nutrients nourishing the recovering

forest with a poetic sense of justice” (Johnson).

(tigers.panda.org/get-involved/)

Although multitudes of activists like Rudi are finding the strength to save the tigers and

Sumatran forests, they can not do it alone. A well known saying is especially valid in this and

every other conservation case; strength comes in numbers. Everyday people are able to help from
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their own homes as well. No, a person does not have to take time to volunteer in Indonesia to

assist in efforts of reviving habitats like the Sumatran forests. Finding programs at zoos and

donating to major organizations, such as the WWF, can help fund conservation efforts. On levels

concerning more powerful groups and individuals, putting the health of the environment before

rooting for a material monopoly in remote areas can save many innocent lives. On a local level,

it is clear that the development of plantations is inevitable. However, it is best for the Sumatran

tigers that these plantations follow suit of the less invasive, less threatening, and less

labor-intensive plantations, like acacia plantations, would increase chances of survival for tigers

and other creatures. This would allow for the movement of tigers and development of vegetation

that both fosters the wellbeing of tiger prey as well as aids tigers in their efforts to hunt and hide.

Efforts are far from over, but one step at a time, humans may pull themselves together and

admire the beauty of these pristine, beautiful creatures and ecosystems once and for all. The

relationship between the natural world and human world will always have problems, but all that

really matters is that everybody stays safe. So, as long as people continue to pull together and

stay aware of their actions, there will be enough forest and creatures for the whole world to

enjoy, and that is what conservation is all about.

The Sumatran tiger is a bold, beautiful creature on the critically endangered list of

animals. As plantation demands increase, notably palm oil, and businesses flourish, this tiger’s

only home is diminishing. Deforestation for legal and illegal plantations are cause for the

shrinking of the luscious Sumatran rainforest. Conservationists and environmental activists are

working hard to raise voices on a local and global level to protect the Sumatran tiger.

Government officials must be more aware of the activities that take place in the forest, as it is
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vital to the protection of the Sumatran tiger and landscape. In order for this to happen, locals in

Sumatra must be informed that there are problems in the forests, such as illegal plantations, and

also that tigers do not want to harm humans, but want to live their lives solitarily in peace.

Enforcing the already existent Tiger Conservation Landscapes and more effectively restricting

all other activities on these reserves will allow the once bold and prominent majesty of the forest

to march on with stealth and pride. Who knows? Perhaps one day, everybody will be fortunate

enough to see a tiger in the wild for themselves.


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Works Cited

Facts of Indonesia. “Sumatran Tigers - Facts and Conservation.” ​Facts of Indonesia,

https://factsofindonesia.com/sumatran-tigers. Accessed 19 Feb. 2018.

Hadinaryanto, Satria Eka. “SPECIAL REPORT: Palm Oil, Politics, and Land Use in Sumatra

(Part II).” ​Mongabay,

https://news.mongabay.com/2014/04/special-report-palm-oil-politics-and-land-use-in-su

matra-part-ii/. Accessed 19 Feb. 2018.

Indahnesia. “Population of Sumatra.” ​Indahnesia.com Discover Indonesia Online,

http://indahnesia.com/indonesia/SUMPOP/population_of_sumatra.php. Accessed 06

Mar. 2018.

Johnson, Tomasz. “Forests Versus Oil Palm Plantations in Sumatra.” ​Mongabay,

https://news.mongabay.com/2009/10/forests-versus-oil-palm-plantations-in-sumatra/.

Accessed 06 Feb. 2018.

Juliane, Reidinar, et al. “Protecting Tiger Habitats: Challenges, Opportunities.” ​The Jakarta

Post,

http://www.thejakartapost.com/academia/2016/06/13/protecting-tiger-habitats-challenges

-opportunities.html. Accessed 06 Feb. 2018.

Kelly, Marcella J., et al. “Tigers Need Cover: Multi-Scale Occupancy Study of the Big Cat in

Sumatran Forest and Plantation Landscapes.” ​journal.plos,

http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0030859. Accessed 05

Feb. 2018.
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Leahy, Stephen. “Extremely Endangered Tiger Losing Habitat - and Fast.” ​National Geographic,

https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/12/palm-oil-sumatran-tigers-extinction-big-cat

s-animals/. Accessed 01 Feb. 2018.

Payne, Octavia. “We Can Save The Tigers from extinction, with a Little Help from Satellites.”

World Resources Institute,

http://www.wri.org/blog/2016/04/we-can-save-tigers-extinction-little-help-satellites.

Accessed 06 Feb. 2018.

Smithsonian’s National Zoo. “Tiger.” ​Smithsonian’s National Zoo & Conservation Biology

Institute, ​https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/tiger. Accessed 01 Feb. 2018.

WWF. “Get Involved.” ​WWF Doubling Wild Tigers by 2022​,

http://tigers.panda.org/get-involved/. Accessed 19 Feb. 2018.


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