This month of October is a historical moment for Tambling Wildlife Nature Conservation (TWNC). Can you imagine that a wild Sumatran Tiger which has found her pawn was wounded  had given birth to 3 (three) male cubs on Wednesday, 26 October 2011 !

It started on early October 2011 where TWNC’s patrol team has several times passed by a wild tiger inside TWNC’s forest conservation area which is part of South Bukit Barisan National Park in Sumatra Island. TWNC itself is a nature conservation zone and habitat for Sumatran Tiger. Back to the tiger, from a distance, TWNC’s patrol team had seen the tiger looks uneasy and painful but cannot identify the wound and what causes it. The team has suspected that the wild tiger is one of the previous five tigers that has been released by TWNC in a program called ‘Release The Tiger Back To the Wild’.

Few days later, TWNC’s patrol team had seen a wild tiger which had difficulty to walk normal. It is immediately suspected to be the same tiger that was spotted few days ago. Looking at its condition, the patrol team initiates to direct it to Sumatran Tiger Rescue Center which is located inside TWNC’s conservation forest. The Rescue Center equipped with giant enclosure for rehabilitating tigers and smaller cages for intensive treatment.

It was not an easy task; it involves special techniques to finally bring it in on October 6^th 2011. It is identified as a female tiger. The tiger keepers immediately run through several procedures to check on her wounded pawn which was quite deep and bleeding. First aid treatment was given following the tiger experts direction from Indonesia Safari Park in Cisarua, Bogor West-Java. Indonesia Safari Park has been TWNC partner to give technical assistancy of species conservation program.

The story of the given birth tiger started when Mr. Mistiriza (one of TWNC’s tiger keeper) noticed unusual on the tiger’s nipples, “The nipples were swollen and reddish color. It had crossed in my mind that the tiger had already given birth because her body did not shown sign of pregnancy. Also since it is a wild tiger, it was not easy to run the pregnancy check. She was relatively aggressive compare to tigers in the rehabilitation process. Therefore, we decided to concentrate treating her wounded pawn.”

Based on Mr. Mistiriza’s information, TWNC’s patrol team was scouting the surrounding area to look for the cubs because they aslo worried that the cubs might be left hopeless without the mother.

TWNC’s field coordinator Mr. Icuk Jo said, “We have scouted twice within two days in a row but did not find any sign of the cubs. I also asked the tiger keeper to collect her urine for testing in Jakarta.”

Before the urine was delivered to Jakarta, this incredible moment happened. On Wednesday, October 26^th 2011 at dawn, the tiger keepers and security personnel in Rescue Center were surprised by the appearance of three cubs in the cage.

This event is good news for Artha Graha Peduli Foundation and its affiliation which has been supporting nature conservation in TWNC. The birth of the cubs has proven that the effort in secure TWNC’s conservation forest has successfully provide a suitable environment to an endangered species such as Sumatran Tigers to live and having a natural reproduction process in the forest.

This incredible moment bring a new spirit for TWNC team to consistently dedicate the effort to Indonesian conservation and to preserve the environment.Wish that its also an amazing news for the whole world !!