During Ramadan, snares increase in the forests across Sumatra as demand increases for meat to break fasts and celebrate. See this Fauna & Flora International/KSNP team’s response to the increased threat to tigers through the Great Kerinci Snare Sweep competition! Great work!
Congratulations to the winning team!
First prize in the 2019 Great Kerinci Snare Sweep was awarded to Muslim – and his team of Pendi, Dion and Eko – with a grand total of 3,523 points won under the 2019 Great Kerinci Snare Sweep.
In the course of two patrols in the east of the national park close to the Jambi-Bengkulu provincial borders, Muslim and his TPCU team recorded and destroyed a total of 18 active deer snares (25 points each) and confiscated a further 56 (10 points) deer snares from a forest-edge farmhouse (see right).
They also destroyed, over the course of two days deep in the forest, no fewer than 452 active snares – 5 points each – set for forest pheasant and partridge, including such rare endemics as Salvadore’s pheasant and Sumatran peacock pheasant.
This was the largest number of active wild bird/small mammal snares ever recorded on a single TPCU patrol.
After a well-deserved rest back in the Bangko base camp, Muslim and his team, all fasting from dawn through to dusk, returned to the forests of Jangkat for a second patrol ‘sweep’ – which saw them destroy a further 39 snares for pheasant and 11 active deer snares.
Second prize – well done!
Second prize in the 2019 Great Kerinci Snare Sweep went to TPCU III Gunawan Saepulah and his team – Slamat Riyadi, Sudirman and Pidy Arachman –(left) with 2,882 points.
The team recorded and destroyed four active tiger snares (500 points) on three patrols in national park and park-edge forests in the south-west of the park in Bengkulu, recording a further three ‘recently’ active (50 points) tiger snares on the same patrols and a total of 24 active deer snares on two patrols. A forest-edge farmer provided useful information on the likely identities of the would-be tiger poachers in one of these cases.
Third prize – great work!
Third place in the Great Kerinci Snare Sweep was awarded to TPCU V (Endi Mistanto and Suriadi, Amsar, Juanda) who were awarded 1660 points with two active tiger snares detected and destroyed on an information-led patrol in national park forests in the west of the park in Mukomuko early in Ramadan and a total of 26 active deer snares on two patrols in April.
The Adjudicators awarded a small ‘consolation’ prize to M Rozali and his unit, who came in fourth with 745 points for three ‘recently active’ tiger snares and a total of 23 active deer snares on three patrols – two information-led – in national park forests on the Kerinci-Merangin district borders.
The Great Kerinci Snare Sweep 2019 – run, for the first time, for two months and not only the holy month of Ramadan – resulted in the destruction of a total of six active tiger snares, 93 active deer snares and 491 wild bird snares in the course of 24 patrols – 13 during the fasting month of Ramadan. Poaching threat to tiger detected was the highest since 2016 when 17 active tiger snares and 169 active deer snares were recorded on TPCU patrols during Ramadan and the preceding month.
But what sent the TPCU rangers home, to enjoy well-deserved time off with their families for the Idul Fitri celebrations with a broad grin on their faces is a quite different type of detection – SMART patrols during Ramadan and the preceding month recorded a minimum of 24 tigers …the best tiger presence in five years.
From us all: Thankyou ..and Selamat Hari Raya, Mohon Maaf Lahir dan Bathin, Salam Lestari!
(Happy Idul Fitri, we apologise for any mistakes we have made, Conservation greetings)
