'Sadistic' attack for tiger's fur

Relevant offers

Asia

Truck bomb kills one, wounds 13 Whopper whale shark washes up Millions pushed into child labour in Pakistan Five workers missing in flooded refinery tunnel Maldives president quits after police mutiny, protests 13 dead, 40 missing as 6.9 quake hits Philippines Child killed as 6.8 quake shakes Philippines Gunmen publish Yemen president's photo by force Bombing in Kandahar, seven killed Cambodia still reeling from Khmer Rouge

A group of thieves killed an endangered tiger in an Indonesian zoo and stole most of its body - a theft police suspect was motivated by the animal's valuable fur and bones.

The remains of the female Sumatran tiger were found by staff on Saturday at the Taman Rimba Zoo in Jambi province on Sumatra island, said zoo director Adrianis.

"It was sadistic," Adrianis said of the attack. "The killers left only its intestines in the cage."

Posma Lubis, lead detective for the Jambi police department, said they were searching for the perpetrators.

It was unclear how the thieves broke into the zoo or how many were involved.

British-based international wildlife trade monitoring network TRAFFIC said in a 2008 report that it found tiger bones, claws, skins and whiskers being sold openly in eight cities on Indonesia's Sumatra island in 2006, despite tough laws banning such trade.

The group estimated that 23 tigers had been killed to supply the parts found for sale in souvenir, Chinese medicine and jewelry stores.

Sumatran tigers are on the brink of extinction because of rapid deforestation, poaching and clashes with humans.

Their numbers have dwindled to about 250 from about 1000 in the 1970s, according to the Washington-based World Wildlife Fund.

- AP

Newest First

Oldest First

Lois   #4   04:17 pm Aug 24 2009

That is disgusting. Tigers are beautiful animals and to kill an endangered species in a zoo is so horrible. They will be extinct in a few years if people don't do anything.

Arthur   #3   09:16 am Aug 24 2009

A sad indictment on the stupidity, ignorance and the vile primitive nature of humanity. It is also astounding in the 21st century that primitive beliefs, like believing that consuming processed animal parts actually makes humans (Note: mostly men) more sexually potent, still exist. The sad fact is there is more potent medicine to be found in the rain forest the ignorant Indonesians are destroying than a million poor tigers.

Reality Check   #2   09:01 am Aug 24 2009

While the people who did the act should be hung, its the Asian medicine that uses the bones etc that should be banned immediately & those found using the bones, also hung.

courtneyp   #1   09:01 am Aug 24 2009

Humans are disgusting

Ad Feedback