Sumatran tiger, as the name suggests, has its natural habitat in the Indonesian island of Sumatra. Sumatran tigers are critically endangered and according to the latest estimates there are currently less than 500 Sumatran tigers living in the wild.
The main reason why Sumatran tigers are at the very brink of extinction is a rapid deforestation of Indonesian rainforests. Deforestation is taking heavy toll in Indonesia for more than a decade now and this has resulted in fewer habitats for these majestic animals.
Despite the fact that the Indonesian Forestry Ministry has established programs for tiger conservation such as the foundation of Senepis Buluhala Tiger Sanctuary, Sumatran tigers still haven't been able to recover population, mostly because the Indonesian rainforests is still being heavily destroyed by illegal logging.
Without the rainforest, which is a home of these majestic animals, Sumatran tigers will soon go extinct. The worst part in this story is that Indonesian government has so far had very few successes when dealing with illegal logging which makes conservation efforts almost impossible.
The habitat loss has also led to frequent conflicts between tigers and people because many tigers no long have their natural habitats and are entering many Indonesian villages. Indonesian government has so far found it very hard to help protect both tigers and human settlements and this has lead to many tiger deaths.
Deforestation is not the only threat to survival of Sumatran tigers. Poaching is also a major threat to Sumatran tigers even despite the increased conservation efforts. Many poaching gangs are highly organized, driven by the high demand for tiger organs, skin and bones on Asian black market and the protected areas still fail to provide safe living area for tigers.
The largest Sumatran tiger populations live in the Kerinci Seblat National Park and Gunung Leuser National Park.
Sumatran tigers are endangered because of poaching and deforestation!
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