Animals Gone Wild: Tiger Rampage in West Kalimantan, Indonesia Kills Human and Tiger

PONTIANAK, KOMPAS.com – Authorities in the city of Singkawang on the Indonesian province of West Kalimantan have nabbed one of two tigers that broke out of the city’s Sinka zoo on Friday, February 6.

The catch ended the big cat’s rampage that killed a human as well as one of the felines.

Singkawang Police Precinct chief Grand Commissioner Attendant Prasetiyo Adhi Wibowo said the tiger was captured by a joint team from the police, military and West Kalimantan Nature Conservation Agency [BKSDA] on Saturday evening.

“[We] captured the tiger by shooting it with a tranquilizer dart. Even then, we had to wait for 20 minutes to ensure that it was fully sedated before we can net the beast,” added Prasetiyo, as quoted by the Antara state news agency.

Also read: Animals Gone Wild: Indonesian Man Bluffs Sumatran Tiger into Fleeing

He noted that the one-year old white tiger was secured hours after the team killed the first tiger hours earlier. “We were forced to kill the other tiger because it broke into the enclosures of the other animals in the zoo and preyed on them.”

Prasetiyo maintained that the action was taken after consulting the BKSDA.

A spokesperson for the Sinka Zoo, Elka, said the hunt for the tigers began when they broke out of their enclosure. “The two tigers got loose, after a landslide caused by days of torrential rains caused a gaping hole in their cage,” she asserted.

“The felines then attacked and killed 47-year old Ferry Darmawan, an animal handler who tried to control them.”

Also read: BKSDA Conservationists In West Sumatra, Indonesia, Trap Sumatran Tigers

The police, military and BKSDA went out in force overnight to look for the tigers. They were ordered “to monitor their movements, as capturing the endangered species would have been extremely dangerous for the men,” said Suparto, a BKSDA official from the Singkawang area.

Singkawang Mayor Tjhai Chui Mie ordered the zoo to be closed during the hunt, only for the installation to be opened if it is deemed safe.

Tigers and other wild animals escaping from zoos and facing off against humans are uncommon in Indonesia, as most human and animal conflicts in the country occur in the animals’ natural habitat.

(Writers: Hendra Cipta, Pontianak Contributor | Editors: David Oliver Purba, Michael Hangga Wismabrata, Pythag Kurniati)

Sources:

https://regional.kompas.com/read/2021/02/06/15582151/satu-ekor-harimau-sinka-zoo-singkawang-yang-lepas-ditembak-mati?page=all#page2. 

https://www.antaranews.com/berita/1985780/dua-harimau-yang-lepas-dari-sinka-zoo-berhasil-diamankan 

https://regional.kompas.com/read/2021/02/06/17525421/ini-alasan-polisi-tembak-mati-harimau-yang-lepas-dari-kebun-binatang-di?page=all#page2. 

https://regional.kompas.com/read/2021/02/06/12242271/cerita-pilu-pawang-fery-tewas-diserang-harimau-saat-mencegah-kabur-dari?page=all#page2.