Posted on 03/06/2018 11:06:14 AM PST by BBell
A Sumatran tiger hangs, dead and disemboweled, from a ceiling in a public hall in a remote village in northern Indonesia.
A photograph shows the lifeless animal strapped to a wooden plank — and dozens of villagers crowded around to see it.
It’s not certain why the critically endangered animal was slain Sunday in a village in North Sumatra, but local news reports say it had mauled at least one or two residents who had followed it to its lair — to determine whether it was a mythological, supernatural being.
The Jakarta Post reported that superstitious villagers feared it was a “siluman,” or shape-shifter, and when rangers would not kill it, they took matters into their own hands and decided to kill it themselves.
“The tiger was sleeping under a resident’s stilt house when the people struck him repeatedly in the abdomen with a spear,” an official from the Batang Natal subdistrict told the newspaper.
Hotmauli Sianturi, with the Natural Resources Conservation Agency, told Reuters that conservationists urged the residents not to harm it, explaining that a trap had been set to try to catch the big cat.
“We explained to the villagers that the tiger is an endangered animal … but they didn’t like our way of handling this situation,” she told the news agency.
Under Indonesian law, people are prohibited from capturing, injuring or killing protected animals, such as the Sumatran tiger. Such crimes carry a prison sentence of up to five years and a fine of up to 100 million rupiah, or $7,000, according to the country’s conservation act.
Still, Sianturi told Agence France-Presse that concerned residents “insisted on killing the tiger.”
“After killing the animal, the locals hung up its body for display. It’s very regrettable,” she said.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Stupid villagers. If it were a shape-shifter, it would have shape-shifted into something else before it was killed.
Sounds like the tiger wasn’t nearly as “endangered” as the people who had to live around it.
Probably old and toothless.
Yes, we want these people to come here in droves....................
Whoops!
That’s kind of like the same diff anyway... If you live in a third world country where myths, legends and other such phony baloney stuff rules your life.
Its kind of like those people who follow Al Gore as a guru and believe in global warming, but thankfully on a much smaller scale.
Best response yet!
Yep. And you can be sure it won't be turning into a human form anymore.
Are you implying that Al Gord is on the endangered species list or that he is a shape shifter?
The Left says we need more cultural enrichment like this from the Third World.
The article alludes to big penalties for killing tigers. I expect the shape shifter explanation is just an excuse. There’s also probably the fear that forest officials will just release the animal, in which case the next year or so will be an extremely jumpy experience for people in the area.
Note that Indonesian has strict gun control. Even with a gun, going up against a skilled and strong ambush predator like a tiger, when you’re actually hunting it, is no joke. Even if you had the biggest caliber elephant gun on hand, if you weren’t actively looking for it, the odds are good that it could kill you a split second after you noticed its attack.
From the looks of that photo it doesn’t look like the tiger was very healthy by how thin it was.
But they were just suppose to let wander around their houses while waiting for the ONE trap that had been set to work.
Sounds like the villagers were the logical ones and the "Natural Resources Conservation Agency" were the loonies.
local news reports say it had mauled at least one or two residents who had followed it to its lair — to determine whether it was a mythological, supernatural being...from the article
I expect to be mauled if I follow a tiger to its lair. Yep, real logical people. Let’s kill a big beast just because we can.
Since Indians in America are permitted to kill protected eagles, why shouldn’t these people be able to fo similar sacrifice without global rebuke?
Tiger under our house out comes Mr. Mossberg. :-)
you run rings round them logically!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.