After four years of working and waiting, wildlife photographer Vladimir Cech Jr. caught a rare glimpse of the critically endangered Sumatran tiger in Indonesia.
Thrilled to see the fruits of his labors, which involved using trail cameras "triggered by animal movement," Cech described his reaction to BBC's Discover Wildlife in an early-May report. "It was such an explosion of joy," Cech said, "that the guys from rangers thought something had bitten my a** because of how quickly and unexpectedly I jumped into the air while looking at the display."
The Sumatran tiger is one of the rarest big cats of all. The International Fund for Animal Welfare has estimated that there are only around 600 left in the wild, though their elusive nature makes an accurate count difficult. They are reportedly the only remaining tigers on Indonesia's Sunda Islands, as the Balinese and Javan tigers, sadly, have already become extinct.
The Sumatran tiger's survival is threatened by habitat loss due to deforestation caused by land clearing for palm oil plantations, other agriculture, and logging, per Discover Wildlife. Tigers can also be subject to rampant poaching, sometimes because of the animal's role in traditional Asian medicine.
As apex predators in their natural habitats, tigers play an essential role in the ecosystem. They're what's known as an "umbrella species," meaning their presence protects a myriad of other fauna. Tigers regulate the populations of the species they prey upon and limit the habitat destruction that overpopulation can cause.
Additionally, with each hunt they succeed in, tigers aren't feeding themselves alone but also other species. As the Wild Cats Conservation Alliance notes, a tiger usually only eats "about 65-75% of the edible portions" of its kills.
Cech's years-long photography project shows the critical role that trail cameras can play in conservation efforts. They're not just a great tool for researchers seeking to inform effective strategies to protect rare and elusive animals — they can also be a source of inspiration for the public.
As Cech told Discover Wildlife, "These sharp, detailed and colourful pictures can help to raise awareness about this amazing subspecies of tiger and other animals that live in this area."
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