Jakarta, IO – The ARSARI Djojohadikusumo Foundation (YAD) as the superintendent of Dharmasraya Sumatran Tiger Rehabilitation Center (PR-HSD ARSARI), in collaboration with the West Sumatra BKSDA would like to thank all the parties involved in the successful rehabilitation process and the release of Sumatran Tiger Putri Singgulung. Hashim Djojohadikusumo, Chairman of YAD, remarked “We are all proud to be able to release the 8th Sumatran Tiger rehabilitated in our facility. Thank you for trusting our team at PR-HSD ARSARI, a team blessed with passionate young people as veterinarians, animal caretakers, biologists, and forest rangers who have done this nation proud in wildlife conservation efforts”.
Vet. Dr. Patrick Flaggellata, Operational Manager of PR-HSD ARSARI, added, “We are grateful that Putri Singgulung can finally be released into the wild, especially since she had a history unsuccessful release when she was about 8 months old. But now, after 2 years of rehabilitation with an intensive process to rekindle her wild instincts, ability to hunt live prey, avoidance of humans, and remarkably good physical health, we were finally able to issue a recommendation to the BKSDA that Putri was ready to be released on October 16, 2022”.
After a lengthy rehabilitation process, one of the keys to successful release is the release location. “The use of a helicopter as a support from the Ministry of Defense and the Indonesian Air Force will be continued in the future, considering the utmost importance of a safe release location in the middle of the forest with limited access to human activities. Aside from ensuring animal safety, the shorter journey also means significantly reducing stress in animals,” explained Catrini Pratihari Kubontubuh, Executive Director of ARSARI Foundation.
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Presently, PR-HSD ARSARI is taking care of Putra Singgulung, the sibling of Putri Singgulung who is being rehabilitated intensively to prepare for his future release. One would hope that Sumatran tigers can continue to exist and thrive. “All wildlife are God’s creations with their respective roles in the universe, and our task is to protect them from extinction,” concluded Hashim Djojohadikusumo who has consistently expressed his concerns in the conservation of nature and wildlife. (des)