Supartono. the head of Bengkulu`s Natural Resources Conservation Agency, said on Monday the incident happened on Saturday (Nov 5).
"The tiger attacked when Fitria was at the farm with her two siblings. It was drizzling and they were playing outside the house when suddenly a tiger came out of a nearby forest and attacked the little girl straightaway," said Supartono.
On seeing their little sister in the clutches of a tiger, the two other kids screamed in horror and ran to the nearest village, 7 kilometers from the farm, for help.
Villagers who came to the farm later found Fitria`s dead body 20 meters from the farm house. Her entire left leg was missing, apparently eaten by the tiger.
Supartono said conflicts between tigers and humans rarely happened in the region, and Saturday`s incident could have happened because the farm and house were located in the Bukit Daun forest conservation area (where humans were not supposed to live).
It was decided to assign six forest rangers to determine the farm`s exact geographical bearings to see whether it was indeed located within a forest conservation area.
If the farm and house proved to be located outside the forest conservation area, Bengkulu`s Natural Resources Conservation Agency would catch the tiger and relocate it.
Supartono said the incident was also an indication that the conditions wildlife habitats in the region were beginning to deteriorate due to illegal logging.
According to the agency`s records, a total of 7 human-tiger conflict cases had happened in the province in 2011, namely in the five districts of Lebong, Seluma, North Bengkulu, Kaur, South Bengkulu, and Kepahiang.
In two of the conflicts, two people were killed causing the suspected tigers to be moved to the Tembling Conservation Park in Lampung province. (*)
Editor: Aditia Maruli Radja
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
