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Stephen Then The Star 3 Sep 19; MIRI: Firefighters dousing the remains of forests ravaged by wildfires in the Kuala Baram district in northern Sarawak have uncovered dead animals, including a leopard cat. Miri Fire and Rescue Department said Bomba firefighters and voluntary firefighters from land developer Naim Cendera Sdn Bhd were dousing burning ambers near the Industrial Training Institute and Hamidah Orphanage, when they found the dead animals. Miri fire chief Supt Law Poh Kiong said the discovery was made on Tuesday morning (Sept 3). He said he had informed the Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC). "The feedback I got from the SFC is that the dead wildlife is possibly a leopard cat. "It's such a pity," Supt Law said in his latest updates on the forest fires' aftermath. "Firefighters are combing the burnt areas to snuff out burning amber that are still causing smog," he added. Malaysian Nature Society Miri branch also expressed sadness that many spec...

Rizal Harahap The Jakarta Post 28 Aug 19; A 36-year-old man was mauled to death by a Sumatran tiger in a concession area in Gaung subdistrict in Indragiri Hilir regency, Riau. Indragiri Hilir Police chief Adj. Comr. Sr. Christian Rony confirmed the incident, saying the victim, identified as Darmawan aka Nang, was attacked while taking a bath near a well in a PT Bhara Induk concession area at 4:30 p.m. on Sunday. �The well is located about 30 meters from a hut where the victim and his colleague, Andika, lived,� Christian told reporters on Tuesday. Only a few minutes after Darmawan left the hut, Andika heard his friend screaming. When he went to the well, Andika found Darmawan wrestling with a tiger. Andika immediately went to look for help in nearby Sinar Danau hamlet in Tanjung Simpang village, where he found two local residents and Sinar Danau neighborhood unit (RT) head Rayo at around 7 p.m. After a discussion, Andika and the villagers decided to look for Darmawan the next morning. ...

Antara 25 Aug 19; Indonesia, home to the Sumatran tiger, joined celebrations on International Tiger Day, observed on July 25, to raise support for the conservation of tigers. The Sumatran tiger is the only surviving tiger in the country, and the smallest of the five tiger subspecies in the world. In the 1970s, the number of Sumatran tigers had reached some 1,000, though the figure decreased to 800 by the 1980s. Currently, the population is believed to be between 400 and 600 tigers. In earlier days, Indonesia was home to three tiger species, including the Bali tiger, which became extinct in 1940, and the Java tiger, declared extinct in the 1980s. While environmentalists, experts and officials campaigned during Global Tiger Day, still, the few remaining Sumatran tigers have to struggle to survive, as Sumatra Island has been ravaged by hundreds of hotspots, similar to forest fires, since July 2019. Riau Province on Sumatra Island has been the most affected by forest fires. Wildfires also...

Closure of tiger farms among urgent steps needed to protect species, wildlife summit hears Damian Carrington The Guardian 21 Aug 19; Two illegally smuggled tigers per week are being seized by officials, according to a report, but this represents only a tiny fraction of those being killed. The report, by the wildlife trade experts Traffic, was released at a summit of 183 countries under the Convention in the International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites), where many delegates have called for stronger action. Traffic also found a surge since 2012 in seized carcasses, skins and bones from tiger farms. International trade in the species is banned, but the researchers said the captive-breeding facilities, mainly in China, undermine their protection by maintaining demand in domestic markets and enabling the laundering of wild tiger products. There are fewer than 4,000 tigers in the wild but more than 7,000 in tiger farms, which sometimes masquerade as zoos. In 2016, more than 180 animals...