Minister of Environment and Forestry, Siti Nurbaya inaugurated the Dharmasraya Sumatran Tiger Rehabilitation Center in (PR-HSD) in West Sumatra Saturday 29 July 2017 coincided with the Global Tiger Day. Attended at the ceremony was the Governor of West Sumatra, Irwan Prayitno and some other local government officers.
PR-HSD is located in the palm oil plantation of PT. Tidar Kerinci Agung (PT TKA) in Dharmasraya District, West Sumatera with a total rehabilitation area of 10 hectares. PR-HSD is the first rehabilitation center initiated and built by the private party. “This is the first time I inaugurated a rehabilitation center initiated by the private sector,” said Minister Siti in her words.
PR-HSD is a manifestation of the application of Law no. 5 of 1990 on the Conservation of Biological Natural Resources and its Ecosystem which is the responsibility and obligation of the government and society. PT. TKA as an element of the community participated in the preservation efforts by building the PR-HSD.
President Director of PT. Tidar Kerinci Agung, who is the founder of PR-HSD, Hashim Djojohadikusumo explained that the purpose of PR-HSD is to lead to various preservation efforts while keeping up the right of Sumatran Tiger to return to live well in its natural habitat. “The goal is to preserve the Sumatran Tiger, and the next step is to increase the number of tigers in the wild,” Hashim explained.
The inauguration of PR-HSD also coincided with the World Environment Day series set by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), the UN Special Agency on Environmental Programs. The theme of 2017 is “Connecting People with Nature” then translated into “converge with Nature”, with the aim to encourage global people in improving and saving nature, flora and fauna. “Let us preserve our nature, let us preserve our animals”. Minister Siti said.
PR-HSD consists of rehabilitation enclosures that are built very similar to the native habitat of Sumatran Tiger with a total area of 10 hectares. In the early stages of the construction, two rehabilitation enclosures of 50 x 50 meters each are equipped with a 1.5 x 3 meter kandang jepit (?) and two treatment enclosures with 9 x 6 meter each. At a later stage it is projected to make a larger rehabilitation enclosure area, with a size of about 1 hectare each.
The inauguration of PR-HSD was marked by the release of a 7-year old female Sumatran tiger named Leony from a 54 m2 treatment cage into a 2,500 m2 rehabilitation enclosure. Leony is confiscated from illegal possession and entrusted to be treated at the Animal Sanctuary Trust Indonesia (ASTI) in Gadog, West Java since February 2010. With the PR-HSD, Leony will have the opportunity to return to the wild through a rehabilitation program. Unfortunately 4 months after its rehabilitation process, Leonid has the complication of Hepatitis, Pneumonia and Spleinitis. She died on 15th November 2017 after reach rehabilitation stage of nutrition enrichment. This death encourages us for enhancing the effort to support Sumatran Tiger conservation. The Ministry of Forestry and Environment convinced us to translocate the next Sumatran Tigers to be rehabilitated in PR-HSD.
Indonesia initially had 3 tiger species, but today two tiger species have been declared extinct ie Bali Tiger (1940s) and Java Tiger (1980s). Currently only remaining Sumatran Tiger whose population in nature according to the latest study is estimated at about 600.
The Sumatran tiger, Panthera Tigris sumatrae, is a protected animal whose population in the wild is threatened. The government has set the Sumatran Tiger as a species that needs to increase its population. The tiger is a symbol of ecosystem preservation and its existence is only possible if the forest and the environment as a habitat are maintained. The tiger has an extended range of up to 300 km2.