Sumatran tigers very sensitive to human disturbance08/07/2013 10:08:39 Tigers live at surprisingly low densities in Sumatra
July 2013. Sumatran tigers, found exclusively on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, are on the brink of extinction. By optimistic estimates, perhaps 400 individuals survive. But the exact the number and locations of the island's dwindling tiger population has been up for debate.
Very low density of tigers
Virginia Tech and World Wildlife Fund researchers have found that tigers in central Sumatra live at very low densities, lower than previously believed.
The study suggests that high levels of human activity limit the tiger population. Researchers studied areas and habitat types not previously surveyed, which could inform interventions needed to save the tiger.
Sensitive to human disturbance
Very difficult to find evidence of individual tigers
"Getting evidence of the tigers' presence was difficult," Kelly said. "It took an average of 590 days for camera traps to get an image of each individual tiger recorded."
"We believe the low detection of tigers in the study area of central Sumatra was a result of the high level of human activity - farming, hunting, trapping, and gathering of forest products," Sunarto said. "We found a low population of tigers in these areas, even when there was an abundance of prey animals."
The study -- "Threatened predator on the equator: Multi-point abundance estimates of the tiger Panthera tigris in central Sumatra" -- indicates that more intensive monitoring and proactive management of tiger populations and their habitats are crucial or this tiger subspecies will soon follow the fate of its extinct Javan and Balinese relatives.
The study was published in the April 2013 issue of Oryx -- The International Journal of Conservation.