SUNGAI GELAM, Indonesia — Indonesia’s tiger-catchers have a double job: protecting humans from tigers, and tigers from humans.
The elite teams of rangers and conservationists rush to the scene every time villagers report attacks by or sightings of critically endangered Sumatran tigers. First, they calm the people. Then they use steel cage traps, live bait, heat- sensitive cameras and other equipment to capture the magnificent beasts and relocate them.
Sartono, 40, knows if he and his six-member team cannot put a quick end to a killing spree, residents will shoot or poison the tiger. There are only about 250 of the cats left in the wild, compared with about 1,000 in the 1970s, according to the World Wildlife Fund.
This time, they find a tigress 6 feet long crouched in their trap. She is blamed for the recent deaths of three villagers. For Sartono and his team, catching a tiger is bittersweet.
“It’s kind of sad. I feel sorry for the tiger, but it’s better than the alternative,” said Sartono, who like many Indonesians uses only one name. “But don’t call us tiger-catchers. Please! We’re tiger-savers.”
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