Teenager Killed in an Alleged Tiger Attack in Sumatra

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Riau Natural Resources Conservation Agency on Monday announced that it has set a tiger trap at a village nearby the conservation area after 16-year old teenager Malta Akfarel was tragically found dead in a grim state with blood tracks pointing into the forest. 

The BKSDA is currently investigating the death of the teen, which reports suggest is due to a tiger attack. The agency confirmed that the area where the teen’s body was found is located within the palm oil plantation area of PT Sawit Unisraya, which the BKSDA said is considered to be a tiger area.

“The Riau BKSDA team has been mobilized to place a trap which will be used to relocate the Sumatra Tiger away from the location that is prone to conflicts with humans,” said the BKSDA head of Technical Division M. Mahfud on August 30, Antaranews reported.

According to one version of the teen’s death, official reports state that the teen was an employee of the palm plantation and at the time of the tragic incident was fixing a power source with his dad Rustam for the lighting at a camp that used to be owned by the company.

As the teen’s father was fixing the diesel engine, the teen asked his dad’s permission to head towards a nearby port in search of a mobile phone signal. Other versions state that the teen headed towards the port to meet with two of his siblings.

However, his dad searched for the teen who failed to return and looked for him in the port area. Unfortunately, Rustam found his son’s mobile phone at the ground with blood stains and several track marks. 

“Eyewitness reports state that the victim was attacked by a tiger when the lights were still off. The victim was found dead in a gruesome state at 23:00 Western Indonesia Time,” said the BKSDA technical division head. 

Read: 3 Sumatran Tigers Repeatedly Sighted in West Sumatra's Kota Rantang

ANTARA