The Sumatran tiger has the distinction of being the smallest tiger subspecies. It is estimated that only 500 or fewer of these animals remain in the wild and poaching, deforestation and disturbance of their habitat structures cause them to be perilously close to extinction. Various conservation projects have been established to save the remaining Sumatran tigers.
The Sumatran Tiger Project
Started by Dr. Ron Tilson, the Sumatran Tiger Project was designed as a conservation effort to ensure the survival of the Sumatran Tiger. Located in Way Kambas National Park in Sumatra, Indonesia, the project was started in 1995. This project was instrumental in obtaining much needed information about the behavior and habitat needs of the Sumatran tiger via remote cameras set up in the park. It also worked to eliminate poaching in park areas. This project has served as a template for other tiger conservation projects.
Kerinci Tiger Project
Also called the Kerinci Seblat Tiger Protection Project, the Kerinci Tiger Project was started in 2000 as part of a combined effort by the Indonesian government and Fauna and Flora International to help protect the Sumatran tiger and other locally endangered species and is ongoing. This project, focused in the Kerinci Seblat National Park, is primarily concerned was finding and reducing the threats to the current tiger populations. Threats include both human concerns, such as poaching and deforestation, and habitat concerns, such as available prey.
World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Sumatran Tiger Conservation Project
Begun in 2000 and running until 2009, the WWF's Sumatran tiger conservation project focused its efforts on Bukit Tigapuluh National Park in the province of Riau, Sumatra. Collaborating with the Sumatran Tiger Project, the WWF worked to determine the habitat needs of the tigers in Riau and to decrease not only the poaching of tigers but the market demand in local areas of Indonesia for tiger pelts and other tiger parts as well.
Sumatran Tiger Conservation Program
The Sumatran Tiger Conservation Program was started by the Minnesota Zoo in 1995 in an effort to make the Indonesian government truly aware of the importance of saving the Sumatran tiger. Members of the project all worked to help the Indonesian government to determine what steps needed to be taken to ensure remaining tiger habitats remained safe and tigers' needs were being met. In 2007, this project was handed over to the Indonesians.
Tags: Tiger Project, Indonesian government, National Park, Sumatran Tiger, Sumatran Tiger Project