HOT NEWS: Sight of Javan Tiger in Mt. Arjuno Went Viral

VIVA.co.id - For the past few days, social media has been rattled by a photo of what was claimed to be a Javan Tiger, which roamed the forest around Mt. Arjuno, East Java.

The photo was posted on Facebook by a user named Lantas Sembodo on 24 June 2016. In the caption, this user wrote that everyone climbing the mountain passing the trail between Mt. Mujur and Mt. Indrokilo should be aware of the tiger.

That photo has been shared over 700 times by other users.

In the photo, we would see a tiger walking on a small path in a forested area. The photo was taken from above, which makes it unclear where the photo was taken.

Therefore, many people doubted the originality of the photo. Iwan Kurniawan, the project manager of Javan Langur Center in Batu, said that the forest around Mt. Mujur and Mt. Indrokilo is not in a good state. Thus, it is obscure that the declared-extintct  Javan Tiger would live there.

"In general, the forest of Mt. Arjuno is in a bad condition. Many habitats of wildlife has been destructed and converted into farms. It is quite impossible for a tiger to live there," said Iwan on 25 June 2016.

Meanwhile, agreeing with JLC, another organization working for wildlife and forest conservation, PROFAUNA, also doubt the facts contained by the photo. PROFAUNA's chairman, Rosek Nursahid, told our reporter that PROFAUNA is very familiar with the area.

"There were reported sightings of a Javan Tiger, but we have never seen one. Only the Javan Leopard has been confirmed to occur there," said Rosek.

Although doubting the photo, Rosek added that PROFAUNA will do a field check to confirm the verity of the claim. If it is later proven true, the concerning authorities can perform stricter vigilance on this area because it is also a favorite site for hunters.

Source: VIVA.co.id

PROFAUNA Indonesia's team during a survey in Mt. Arjuno to confirm the sighting of a Javan Tiger.