The Sumatran Tiger by Shaelin Murphy

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The sumatran tiger is a species of tigers found in tropical broadleaf forests with freshwater swamps in Indonesia. These tigers are quickly becoming extinct and World Wildlife has categorized them as a critically endangered species. There are less than 400 sumatran tigers left, and this number is only dropping. Sumartran tigers are the smallest subspecies of tigers to still exist, weighing between 165 and 308 pounds. These tigers are usually easy to identify because of their main is more bearded than other subspecies of tigers and their stripes are thicker and more defined. 
Sadly, sumatran tigers are going extinct, and it is largely due to humans. Deforestation has a big impact on sumatran tigers. In Asia, people are cutting down trees and destroying forests for money which leaves many sumatran tigers (and other species) with no place to live. Between the years 1985-1997 16.6 million acres of forest, which is larger than the state of West Virginia, were destroyed. So, it is no surprise that after years of suffering from losing their habitat, sumatran tigers are practically gone. Along with deforestation, illegal hunting and poaching is also a reason why sumatran tigers are going extinct. Many hunters do not realize the effect that their hunting has on ecosystems and species as a whole. A survey was done by TRAFFIC, which revealed that poaching for trade has resulted in 78% of sumatran tiger deaths. The sole purpose of poaching and hunting sumatran tigers is to make money, it is not essential to human life. Laws are in place in Indonesia that subject anyone caught hunting the tigers to jail time, but people continue to get away with it. There is a high demand for tiger parts so people are willing to risk it all to buy and sell them. Some people may wonder why this species of tigers even matter. Of course even if they go extinct, there are still plenty of other tiger species left in the world, but Sumatran tigers are important to Asia. The island of Sumantra is the only place where tigers, rhinos, orangutans, and elephants peacefully coexist together, eliminating the sumatran tiger would have a negative effect on the biodiversity of the region. Biodiversity is important to the food chain and other aspects of the stability of environments, without it, it is hard for an environment to thrive. 
Although humans are the main reason that sumatran tigers are going extinct, some people are making efforts to preserve the species. The World Wildlife Fund identifies poachers and hunters and reports them to law enforcement.  Additionally, they worked to get the Tesso Nilo tiger landscape, one of the last good forests for tigers, declared a protected area, which means that people can no longer hunt there and it gets extra protection from the government. The World Wildlife fund also has an “adopt a tiger” program where people can donate money and essentially “adopt a tiger” to help out. 








source- https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/sumatran-tiger

Comments

  1. AnonymousOctober 20, 2019 at 10:31 AM

    I think it's a shame that humans are a main cause of the decline of Sumatran Tigers. The fact that 78% of deaths is due to illegal hunting and poaching is unbelievable. Also, deforestation isn't only affecting the tigers it's also affecting other species. There definitely needs to be a tighter control on protecting these animals.

    ReplyDelete
  2. DanielleOctober 22, 2019 at 6:19 AM

    So sad that this is happening.

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousOctober 23, 2019 at 6:56 AM

    I can't believe humans are to blame for the deaths of so many tigers. I believe that deforestation is a huge problem that we face today and we need to do something to stop it.

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousOctober 23, 2019 at 10:37 AM

    I find it deplorable that humans are the cause of the possible extinction of such a beautiful wild species. The sheer quantity of deaths due to the simply vain human causes of hunting and poaching is enough in itself to disgust me. However, what's even worse is that the Sumatran Tiger is not the only animal affected by our selfish ways. Rhinos, elephants, snow leopards, lemurs, all these animals and more are facing possible extinction due to poaching. We have a responsibility as people to put a stop to these inhumane actions and do something before we risk the loss of even more beautiful animals on this Earth.

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