Prowling Tigers Spread Fear in Aceh

Banda Aceh, TAG - Residents of Jambo Papeun and Bukit Meuh in South Aceh have said that tigers have been coming into their villagers after dark over the last several days and preying on livestock.

Syafwan, head of South Aceh’s Natural Resources Conservation Agency, said the villagers reported that two to four have been wandering near their houses and had as of Wesnesday killed seven goats belonging to residents.

Within two or three days we will get some help from pawangs (traditional tiger tamers) to move the tigers back into the forest,” Syafwan said.

There have been regular reports of tigers entering villages in the area 2007, as food has become more and more scarce in the forests. The tigers usually descend on the villages from between June and January when the food scarcity peaks.

“Those descending on the villages are mostly the order tigers or those that have just given birth, because they are unable to survive out in the wild when food is scarce,” Syafwan said.[]