A group of medical teams and several other people were seen busy in
the morning around 09.00 WIB at the Dharmasraya Sumatran Tiger
Rehabilitation Center (PR-HSD) in Dharmasraya Regency, West
Sumatra, July 28, 2019. They were preparing to install a GPS collar on a
female and a male Sumatran tiger.

Bonita, the name of an eight-year-old female who was paired with a
GPS collar that day has been in conflict with humans since 2016 in
Pelangiran District, Indragiri Hilir Regency, Riau. The conflict that lasted
for two years entered its peak when Bonita preyed on a woman named
Jumiati on January 3, 2018.
Since then, local residents began to fret and began an evacuation effort
that continued for about two months in the area of ​​the oil palm
plantation.
The Ministry of Environment and Forestry through the Riau Natural
Resources Conservation Center (BKSDA) together with several other
partners then made an evacuation effort to save Bonita.
The team from the Arsari Djojohadikusumo Foundation (YAD) through
the Sumatran Tiger Rehabilitation Center in Dharmasraya (PR-HSD)
which joined since February 28, 2018 then successfully evacuated by
firing anesthesia to her on 20 April 2018. Since then Bonita was
rehabilitated in PR-HSD with supervision from West Sumatra BKSDA.
During 15 months undergoing rehabilitation in PR-HSD, Bonita looked
healthier and returned to normal. Aggressiveness and avoidance of
interaction with humans are already apparent. Finally, the PR-HSD team
decided that Bonita could be released back to the forest.
Besides Bonita, a male Sumatran Tiger named Atan Bintang (4 years)
that day was also fitted with a GPS Collar. Unlike Bonita, Atan Bintang,
who was involved in a conflict with humans, was forced to be evacuated
by the BKSDA and PR-HSD rescue teams in a residential area in Pulau
Burung Village, Pulau Burung District, Indragri Hilir Regency, Riau
Province.
Previously, Atan Bintang was trapped under a shophouse for several
days, thus disturbing residents of Pulau Burung. The evacuation process
is quite difficult because the spot under the shophouses are getting in

increasingly narrow with a small tunnel that extends. Atan's finally
evacuated and carried out on the night of 16-17 November 2018.
Atan, who was successfully evacuated that morning, was then
transported by the team using a speed boat which took about 3 hours to
Tembilahan, to then they continued by road to Dharmasraya for more
than 20 hours.
During eight months of quarantine, Atan showed good health and
aggressive behavior. Until finally the PR-HSD medical team
recommended that Atan can be released into the forest.
 
After Bonita and Atan Bintang received special treatment at the
Rehabilitation Center owned by Hashim Djojohadikusumo in
collaboration with the Ministry of Environment, finally on July 31 2019
the two Sumatran Tigers could live freely without having to live in a
narrow cage.
 
Currently, Bonita and Atan Bintang are released in one of Riau's forests,
which have not been touched by human hands.
Bonita and Atan Bintang are expected to be able to live freely and breed
and avoid conflict with humans. Both become one of the agents to make
the Sumatran Tiger species not disappear from the face of the earth.