In the summer of 2019, Ripi Yanuar Fajar and his friends had a startling and memorable encounter. In Sukabumi, West Java, Indonesia, they came across a large cat in a community plantation. Fajar, a local conservationist, thought they had seen either a critically endangered Javan leopard or a Javan tiger, believed extinct since the 1980s.
Clues in the Wilderness
Days later, researcher Kalih Raksasewu joined Fajar at the site. They found a strand of hair on a plantation fence and recorded footprints and claw marks. Raksasewu sent the hair for analysis to the West Java conservation agency and alerted the provincial government. A team at the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) compared the hair with known samples from Sumatran tigers and a Javan tiger pelt from 1930, stored in a museum.
A Surprising Discovery
Genetic analyses “showed that the hair sample had 97.8% similarities to the Javan tiger,” said Wirdateti, a researcher at BRIN and co-author of the research study, published in Oryx. The results suggest that the long-extinct Javan tiger might still exist on the densely populated island.
The genetic testing compared the possible Javan tiger hair with samples of hairs from the 1930 pelt, other tigers and sequences from GenBank, a database managed by the U.S. National Institutes of Health. The hair found on the fence showed a 97.06% similarity with Sumatran tigers, 96.87% with Bengal tigers, and 97.8% similarity with Javan tigers. Interviews about the encounter were an integral part of the research project. “I wanted to emphasize that this wasn’t just about finding a strand of hair, but an encounter with the Javan tiger in which five people saw it,” Raksasewu said.
A Habitat in Peril
The possibility that the Javan tiger still exists raises questions about its habitat. If the tiger descended to the village, it might indicate disturbed habitat due to drought or human encroachment. In 2019, the Sukabumi region experienced a severe drought, which could have driven the tiger closer to human communities.
Java, an island roughly the size of England, is home to over half of Indonesia’s 270 million residents. Extensive poaching and deforestation were believed to have pushed the Javan tiger to extinction, along with the Bali tiger, declared extinct in 2008. The Sumatran tiger is critically endangered as a result of hunting and habitat loss.
Confirming the Comeback
Although researchers have until now failed to find evidence of the Javan tiger’s continued survival, rumored sightings have circulated for years. Most were quickly debunked. In one case, an animal was identified as a Javan leopard. However, the new findings carry the weight of scientific evidence and are being taken seriously. “Through this research, we have determined that the Javan tiger still exists in the wild,” Wirdateti said. Continued field research will be necessary to look for droppings, footprints and scratch marks and to observe the animals using camera traps.
Didik Raharyono, a Javan tiger expert not involved in the study, emphasized the significance of the findings and the importance of continued research. He urged the environment ministry to implement policies that support efforts to conserve the Javan tiger. “What’s most important is the next steps that we take in the future,” Didik said.
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