The future of the Sumatran tiger, one of the most endangered species on the planet, finds new reasons for hope in the heart of the Indonesian jungle. The latest annual report of the conservation program developed in Way Kambas National Park, in collaboration with the local organization, offers further insights. PKHS and with the support of BIOPARC Foundation, confirms significant progress in the protection of this big cat during 2025.
The data paints a rare picture in a global context of biodiversity loss: an ecosystem that is still functioning. Thanks to the use of camera traps, at least seven different individuals have been identified, along with evidence of reproduction in the wild. This is a key indication that positions this location as one of the last viable refuges for the species.
The jungle under surveillance
Much of this success is based on consistent, often unseen work. During 2025, conservation teams covered nearly 1,000 kilometers of rainforest in 12 protection patrols, encompassing approximately 48.800 hectares. They walk for days through dense vegetation, rivers, and trailless terrain, not only to track the tiger, but to protect it.
Because the threats persist. Among the most worrying findings are illegal traps hidden in the ground, designed to capture large animals indiscriminately. Their impact is twofold: they reduce natural prey and pose a direct risk to the tiger itself, which can become trapped and die.
This pressure is compounded by illegal logging, the opening of clandestine access points, and forest fires, which are progressively fragmenting one of the most valuable ecosystems in Southeast Asia.
The free-roaming population of this large feline does not exceed 400 specimens; figures that, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), are continually decreasing.
Communities, key to conservation
Conservation isn't just about the rainforest. It's also about the communities living on its borders. Throughout 2025, the project has developed educational campaigns, school programs, and awareness-raising activities that have reached hundreds of people in areas near the park.
The goal is to transform the relationship with the environment: to reduce conflicts between humans and tigers and foster a viable coexistence. In parallel, collaboration with universities has allowed for the integration of students and researchers into fieldwork, strengthening the program's scientific foundation.
A connection that reaches BIOPARC Fuengirola
What happens in Sumatra has a direct connection to Spain. A couple lives in BIOPARC Fuengirola. Sumatran tigers, ambassadors of a species listed as “Critically Endangered” by the IUCN and of which only a few hundred specimens remain in the wild.
The BIOPARC Foundation's support for the project in Indonesia is part of a strategy that connects conservation efforts on the ground with awareness-raising in Europe. This approach aims to understand the role of zoos beyond their physical facilities: as active participants in the global protection of biodiversity.
In a world marked by the accelerated disappearance of species, every trace of a tiger in the jungle is a sign of resilience. And also the result of sustained work that, although it occurs thousands of kilometers away, begins much closer than it seems.
