Laws protecting the critically endangered Sumatran Tiger have
failed to prevent tiger body parts being openly sold in
Indonesia, according to a TRAFFIC report launched today. Tiger
body parts, including canine teeth, claws, skin pieces, whiskers
and bones, were on sale in 10 percent of the 326 retail outlets
surveyed during 2006 in 28 cities and towns across Sumatra.
Outlets included goldsmiths, souvenir and traditional Chinese
medicine shops, and shops selling antique and precious stones.
The survey conservatively estimates that 23 tigers were killed
to supply the products seen, based on the number of canine teeth
on sale. “This is down from an estimate of 52 killed per year in
1999–2002,” said Julia Ng, program officer with TRAFFIC
Southeast Asia and lead author on The Tiger Trade Revisited in
Sumatra, Indonesia. “Sadly, the decline in availability appears
to be due to the dwindling number of tigers left in the wild.”
All of TRAFFIC’s surveys have indicated that Medan, the capital
of North Sumatra province,