Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – Researchers reveal that the Javan tiger is still not extinct. This species is thought to roam in the interior of the Sukabumi forest, West Java.
The Javanese tiger was previously thought to be extinct, but this extinction was refuted by proof through DNA testing.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) included the Javan tiger (Panthera tigris sondaica) as an extinct animal on the IUCN Red List in 2008.
Since it was categorized as extinct, there have been many reports of Javanese tiger sightings but without strong evidence. However, in 2019, a number of residents in Cipendeuy village in South Sukabumi stated that they saw a Javanese tiger and found footprints, scratches and a piece of fur.
DNA analysis carried out on a piece of fur stated that it was from a Javanese tiger. However, researchers emphasize that further research is still needed to confirm that Javanese tigers are not extinct.
“Whether Javan tigers still live in the wild must be confirmed by further genetic and field research,” the research team said in a scientific report in the journal Oryx.
The prospect of the Javan tiger still being alive has Indonesian wildlife protection activists excited.
“This research has spurred speculation that Javanese tigers are still on the loose. We are ready and will try to follow up on it,” said the Director General of Natural Resources and Ecosystem Conservation at the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Setyawan Pudyatmoko, as reported by Reutersreported on Saturday (13/4/2024).
According to Reuters, the Ministry of Environment and Forestry will install cameras and carry out a wider search for DNA traces. The government also consulted geneticists.
The Javan tiger is one of three tiger subspecies in Indonesia. The Bali tiger (Panthera tigris balica) was also declared extinct in 2013. The Sumatran tiger (Panthera tigris sumatrae) is the only one that still lives wild and in conservation areas.
In the latest research, researchers studied mychondria. DNA (mtDNA), which is maternal genetic material found outside the nucleus, from the feathers found. They then compared them with samples kept in museums since 1930. As a comparison, fur samples from several subspecies of Javanese tigers and leopards (Panthera pardus melas).
“From comprehensive mtDNA analysis, we concluded that the fur samples taken in South Sukabumi came from Javanese tigers and were from the same group as the specimens taken in 1930,” said the research team.
If the Javanese tiger is found not yet extinct, Pudyatmoko stated that the survival of the species must be protected as hard as possible.
“If, for example, it is proven that it has not become extinct, it will certainly become a protected species. It is the obligation of all parties, including the community, to participate in preserving the population,” stressed Pudyatmoko.
[Gambas:Video CNBC]
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