Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Kaya Rodrigues
Ms Moss
Pre-AP English
19 February 2018
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
(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
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
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
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
(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
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
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
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
(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
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
Works Cited
Hadinaryanto, Satria Eka. “SPECIAL REPORT: Palm Oil, Politics, and Land Use in Sumatra
https://news.mongabay.com/2014/04/special-report-palm-oil-politics-and-land-use-in-su
http://indahnesia.com/indonesia/SUMPOP/population_of_sumatra.php. Accessed 06
Mar. 2018.
https://news.mongabay.com/2009/10/forests-versus-oil-palm-plantations-in-sumatra/.
Juliane, Reidinar, et al. “Protecting Tiger Habitats: Challenges, Opportunities.” The Jakarta
Post,
http://www.thejakartapost.com/academia/2016/06/13/protecting-tiger-habitats-challenges
Kelly, Marcella J., et al. “Tigers Need Cover: Multi-Scale Occupancy Study of the Big Cat in
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
Payne, Octavia. “We Can Save The Tigers from extinction, with a Little Help from Satellites.”
http://www.wri.org/blog/2016/04/we-can-save-tigers-extinction-little-help-satellites.
Smithsonian’s National Zoo. “Tiger.” Smithsonian’s National Zoo & Conservation Biology