Lampung, Indonesia (September 28, 2016) Lampung Barat Police in collaboration with Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park rangers (BBSNP), WCS-Wildlife Crimes Unit (WCU) and Rhino Protection Unit (RPU) arrested three suspects and confiscated a Sumatran Tiger  skin found on sale in the West Lampung area on September 20, 2016.

The head of West Lampung Police, Superintendent Andy Kemala, S.IK stated the offenders were arrested in Tembakak, Krui, West Lampung.

Head of Bukit Barisan National Park, Timbul Batubara added, "The investigation carried out by members of RPU and WCU revealed that the suspects were also offering elephant tusks weighing 32 kg. The suspects and evidence are being held by West Lampung Police and will be processed immediately."

The suspects confessed to poisoning the tiger to obtain its skin, violating conservation laws against killing and trading in the critically endangered species.

WCU Manager, Dwi Adhiasto said, "We truly appreciate the efforts of West Lampung Police for uncovering and capturing wildlife traders of protected and endangered species in Lampung. Within a three year period, at least 58 Sumatran tigers have been traded on the black market. We will follow these cases through the legal process to ensure the perpetrators and other potential offenders are deterred from this type of activity in the future, given the punishment for perpetrators of wildlife crimes is still relatively low.”

Tigers are Critically Endangered according to the IUCN’s Red List with a global population from 441 to 679 individuals.

WCS Indonesia Director, Dr. Noviar Andayani said, "The existence of tigers in the wild is very important to maintaining the balance of forest ecosystems in Sumatra, as well as contributing to the richness of Indonesian biodiversity. The main threats to Sumatran tigers are hunting for trade, habitat loss from plantation expansion, and settlement.”

WCS’s Wildlife Crimes Unit in Sumatra is supported by the Liz Claiborne and Art Ortenberg Foundation, Fondation Segré, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service Multinational Species Conservation Funds, AZA Tiger Species Survival Plan's Tiger Conservation Campaign, the UK Government's IWT Challenge Fund, and the United States International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs Bureau.