Indonesia has initiated a search for evidence suggesting that the Javan tiger, previously deemed extinct, might still roam in the wild. This pursuit follows a DNA analysis conducted on a lone strand of hair recovered from a fence in West Java.
An official from Indonesia’s environment ministry announced on Tuesday that the quest to validate the survival of this majestic feline will employ camera traps and extensive DNA surveys. The Javan tiger species was thought to have vanished in the 1980s.
The inquiry was prompted by a recent study from the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), which proposed that a strand of tiger hair discovered in West Java in 2019 shared characteristics with the native Javan tiger species.
According to a study documented by Cambridge University Press, a resident named Ripi Yanur Fajar reported seeing a Javan tiger near Sukabumi city in West Java province, within a plantation adjacent to a forest. Fajar collected the hair strand from a fence and observed accompanying footprints and claw marks.
Satyawan Pudyatmoko, the ministry official overseeing conservation efforts, stated, “The research has generated speculation about the potential presence of Javan tigers in the wild. We are prepared and will continue to take action in response.”
The endemic Javan and Balinese tiger populations were decimated in the 1980s and 1940s, respectively, due to poaching and deforestation for agricultural purposes, leaving only Sumatran tigers surviving in Indonesia.
Sumatran tigers, a target of poachers for their valuable body parts, are classified as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, with less than 400 estimated to exist in their natural habitat.
Pudyatmoko emphasized, “If it is verified that the Javan tiger persists, it will be granted protected status. Preserving their population is a shared responsibility, including active social involvement.”
Muhammad Ali Imron, head of WWF Indonesia’s forest and wildlife program, advised cautious communication of these findings to prevent alerting potential hunters. He stressed the necessity for further research to confirm the tiger’s existence.
