Sumatran Tiger Chased Cattles in West Sumatra

TheIndonesia.id - A Sumatran tiger (Panthera Tigris Sumatrae) appeared next to a house and attacked calves belonging to residents of Maua Hilia, Kayu Pasak Timur, Salareh Aia, Palembayan District, Agam Regency, West Sumatra, Thursday morning, December 16, 2021.

The owner of the calf, Doni (18) in Lubukbasung, Thursday, said the tiger was chasing cows that were grazing in the yard. "The tiger chased two of my cows and included three of my aunt's cows," he said.

He said the incident was only discovered at 06.00 a.m because the area was hit by rain. When he left the house, he did not see his calves. But around the house, he found many tiger footprints. He and his other family members tried to find the calves and they were found hiding around a sago tree about 150 meters from the house.

"The calves were hiding around a tree and there was no sign of a tiger scratch on the bodies of the five cows," he said.

He said that this was the second time the five cows had experienced this. Previously, the five cows were also chased by a tiger while in a cage in his yard on Monday, December 6. The five cows were brought to the house to prevent future attacks, but the tiger attacked the house this time.

Separately, the Head of Agam Natural Resources Conservation Agency (KSDA), Ade Putra, said his agency will handle the human-animal conflict as soon as possible.

"We will go to the location to carry out treatment so that there are no further victims," he said.

The Agam KSDA Team had handled the conflict for 10 days from December 1-10, 2021. They conducted field identification, installed camera traps, and animal repelling.

"After doing the dispelling, the animals did not appear and (conclusion) from the footprints, the animals had headed for the protected forest area," he said.