An Implementation of animal welfare in tiger sanctuary, Barumun Nagari Wildlife Sanctuary, North Sumatra, Indonesia

Abstract

Abstract. Saab R, Siregar PG, Tatang Mitra Setia TM. 2019. Implementation of animal welfare in tiger sanctuary, Barumun Nagari Wildlife Sanctuary, North Sumatra, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 20: 2790-2795. The accelerated growth in the development of economic and social infrastructure has drastically diminished the population of Sumatran tiger (Panthera tigris sumatrae) and its habitat. As a result, conflicts between tigers and humans are increasing rapidly in recent years. The wild tigers in conflict, such as those that attack humans and livestock, are usually killed or captured, while those who cannot return to the forest due to injury or illness are then translocated to the zoo. The increasing number of human and tiger conflicts raises the need for special facilities, such as sanctuaries, to recover the condition of the tigers, before they are released to the wild. This study aimed to examine the aspects of welfare management and assess the level of welfare of the tigers kept in the sanctuary at the Barumun Nagari Wildlife Sanctuary (BNWS) in North Sumatra, Indonesia. The study was carried out from March to April 2019, while data collection was carried out by literature studies, field observation on implementation of five animal welfare parameters, and self-assessment by the manager of the sanctuary. The results showed that, on a score from 1 to 5, the animal welfare parameter scores were 4.88 (freedom from hunger and thirst), 4.81 (freedom to express natural behavior), 4.79 (freedom from discomfort), 3.81 (freedom from fear and distress) and 3.69 (freedom from pain, injuries, and diseases). The total achievement implementation value of animal welfare in BNWS was 89.13, or very good. However, some improvements still have to be made by the sanctuary manager to enhance the animal welfare of tigers in BNWS.

Welfare management of Sumatran Tiger (Panthera tigris sumatrae) in Medan Zoo and Siantar Zoo

“…On the other hand the assessment of the free to behave naturally still has a low score due to the lack of cage enrichment. The management of the free aspects of natural behavior can be seen from the adequacy of space and cages as well as the security and enrichment facilities [13]. The Siantar Zoo belongs to the excellent category, since all assessment components have an excellent value and an average value of 95.…”

“…Enrichment programs are very important to prepare animals to have good abilities to adapt, compete and survive when released into the wild. Enrichment can also be said as an effort to reduce the possibility of tigers getting involved again in conflict with humans [13]. [14] said that allowing tigers to behave naturally as in their habitat is difficult to do in cages.…”

“…The health aspect of animals must receive serious attention because it concerns the welfare of the animals being kept. The management of aspects free of wounds, pain and disease can be seen from several factors as follows: health of animals in captivity, frequency of health checks, health records, availability of health workers, health facilities and handling of sick animals [13]. In addition, [16] states that animal health facilities include hospital buildings, clinics, laboratory rooms, quarantine rooms, isolation rooms, veterinarians and medical personnel.…”