Judges of a court case in Tembilahan District Court, Indragiri Hilir District, Riau, Sumatra last week (Oct 8) sentenced two poachers (M. Ajad bin Abdullah & Mistar bin Ajad) for 1 year imprisonment and Rp 2 million fine for the killing of three Sumatran tigers.
Most violent incidents between people and tigers in Sumatra’s Riau Province in the past 12 years have occurred near forested areas being cleared by paper giant Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) and associated companies, under the umbrella of its holding group, Sinar Mas Group (SMG), according to an analysis of human-tiger conflict data.
"The hot spots must be put out , otherwise the tigers` habitat will be threatened," the head of the local Environmental Impact Management Agency (Bapedal), Khairul Zainal, said. He said the hot spots which had been spotted by satellite would become a serious danger to wild life if the area if they were not extinguished.