International co‐operative efforts to save the Sumatran tiger Panthera tigris sumatrae

Abstract

The Endangered status of the Sumatran tiger Panthera tigris sumatrae is now well recognized around the world, with an estimated population of 400–500 remaining in the wild and c. 245 Sumatran tigers maintained ex situ. In recognition of the situation, the Indonesian government has prioritized the steps necessary for effective conservation of the subspecies, formalized in 1994 in the Ministry of Forestry's far‐sighted document, the Indonesian Sumatran Tiger Conservation Strategy (Ministry of Forestry, 1994). This document inspired the initiation of a multitude of programmes, which evolved into a multi‐national conservation effort to save the Sumatran tiger, involving the World Conservation Union specialist groups, zoological parks, universities, governments and corporations working co‐operatively with Indonesian forestry and wildlife agencies. In this article, we illustrate how the traditionally isolated fields of ex situ (zoos and captive management) and in situ conservation (wildlife agencies and field programmes) can work together. In today's world close co‐operation of workers in these two fields will become increasingly necessary for effective conservation action.

Chromosome‐scale genomes reveal genomic consequences of inbreeding in the South China tiger: A comparative study with the Amur tiger

“…In this phase, human activity impacted almost the entire SCT range, leading to massive habitat loss (Miao et al, 2013 ; Yang & He, 2017 ). Together with hunting, the census population size was estimated to have fallen from ~4000 to functional extinction by the end of 1990s (Tilson et al, 1996 ; Tilson et al, 2004 ). No specimen from this period has yet been tested for genetic diversity.…”

“…However, the South China tiger was not included in the restoration programme because it was declared functionally extinct in the wild by the end of the 1990s (Tilson et al, 1996 ; Tilson et al, 2004 ). The only representatives remained are the 204‐captive descendants (by the end of 2019) (Yuan et al, 2021 ) of six wild founders.…”

Breaking the spell: Changes in the behavior of two zoo‐kept tigers (Panthera tigris) after exposure to a distinct feast‐and‐fast feeding regime

“…Zoos are institutions of expertize in animal husbandry. This can be observed in detailed knowledge of how certain species should be kept in terms of enclosure design, social environment, reproduction, nutrition, health, training or exercise; this knowledge manifests itself for example in husbandry guidelines for a specific taxon (AZA Tiger SSP, 2016;Baker, 2006;Tilson et al, 1994). One of the consequences of this continuously accumulating expertize is an effect on survivorship measures such as a decrease in neonate mortality and an increase in adult life expectancy over historical time (Roller et al, 2021).…”

Agroforestry, elephants, and tigers: balancing conservation theory and practice in human-dominated landscapes of Southeast Asia

“…Since 1995, we have collected data to evaluate the extent and distribution of tiger and elephant conflict at Way Kambas National Park (Nyhus et al, 2000;Nyhus and Tilson, 2004) and are now extending these observation to other areas of Sumatra as part of the Sumatran Tiger Project (Tilson et al, 1996(Tilson et al, , 1997(Tilson et al, , 2001). We discuss the implications of our observations for the development and management of both agroforestry systems and conservation of these mega-vertebrates.…”