Natural Resources Conservation Office of Riau has arrested a 92 year old man for killing more than 50 Sumatran tigers over his lifetime.
“At first we didn’t believe Grandpa Wiryo was a tiger hunter, but after we conducted surveillance, we finally arrested the suspect with three sacks of evidence,” Riau conservation head Edi Susanto told SCTV on Friday.
Edi said the evidence consisted of skin and bones from a tiger killed early this month in the Kerumutan wildlife conservation area in Indragiri Hulu district. Authorities also confiscated tiger traps belonging to the suspect.
“From the preliminary investigation, the suspect admitted he had killed more than 50 tigers,” said Edi. “Grandpa Wiryo could be the godfather of tiger hunters.”
Wiryo had slaughtered more than 40 Sumateran tigers in Riau since 1960, Edi said. He also hunted in West Sumatra and Java island.
The aged hunter faces up to five years imprisonment and a penalty of Rp 100 million ($10,989). Authorities believe Wiryo was involved with an international network. Wiryo admitted that he had regular customers from Singapore.
“I have been a tiger hunter since I was 17 years old,” said Wiryo.
JG
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