Sumatran tigers 'clinging to survival' due to deforestation

2019-03-08 25

An endangered breed of tiger is "clinging to survival" due to the destruction of its forest habitat, warns new research.

Living only on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, the Sumatran tiger - officially listed as "Critically Endangered" - is the only surviving sub-species of 'Island tigers' which included the now-extinct Javan and Bali tiger.

Conservationists say Sumatran tigers face "many challenges" to their continued existence in the wild, where they require a home range of 25,000 hectares (61,776 acres).

These include being poached for their skin, bones and other body parts, involvement in conflict with people, a depleted prey base, and habitat loss.