Hunt for extinct Javan tiger sparks hope

Indonesia is hunting for more clues that the extinct Javan tiger may still exist in the wild, after a new study suggested links between a DNA-tested hair and the big cat.

The endemic Javan and Balinese tigers were wiped out in the 1980s and 1940s respectively, leaving only Sumatran tigers remaining in the archipelago nation.

Scientists from Indonesia's National Research and Innovation Agency discovered genetic traces of the Javan tiger in a single hair found near a West Java village in 2019, according to a study published by Cambridge University Press last week.

"There are several actions that we are doing and will do to respond to the results," said authorities. Those measures included setting up camera traps, inviting genetics experts to help authorities conduct further research and tests, as well as collecting community data.

The tiger hair shared similarities with Sumatran and Bengal tigers but was distinct from other tiger sub-species, the researchers said.

The study said a local resident reported a Javan tiger sighting in 2019 at a plantation in a forest near Sukabumi city in West Java province.

A hair was taken from a fence where the big cat was alleged to have jumped, and footprints and claw marks were found, it said.

The Javan tiger became extinct because of poaching and increasing conflict with humans, authorities say.