Still remember the story two years ago when WWF tiger team research had direct encounter with a wild Sumatran tiger in Rimbang Baling Game Reserve? Since then no such kind of thrilled experience have ever recurred until late this April. On April 26, 2008 the Tiger Research Team was deployed to some locations in Tesso Nilo forest for tiger occupancy survey.

Camp set up in the forest which the tiger survey team uses it for their lodge. Photo: Kusdianto/ WWF-Indonesia, Tesso Nilo Program

One team consisting of Kusdianto, Egy and Gebok, a local guide headed to Nanjak Makmur concesion in the Tesso Nilo National Park proposed park extension. After the drop site, they had to walk by the side of the area that has been land cleared. Having walked for about one kilometer, the team came into community newly grown rubber plantation which is surrounded with shrubs. They continued walking until they arrived at the border of acacia plantation and Nanjak Makmur concession. Since it was getting dark, they decided to stay there for that night. Egy and Gebok then went around to search for river to get water for their consumption in that night, while Kusdianto was left alone in the area.

The acacia tree where Kusdianto tried to save him from his fear of direct encounter with a wild tiger. Photo: Kusdianto/ WWF-Indonesia, Tesso Nilo Program

After taking some rest, Kusdianto tried to build their tent alone while waiting for his two friends. Having finished with his job, Kusdianto then sat under an acacia tree nearby the tent he had just built. Not long after that, suddenly he saw a tiger passed by, just about 20 meters away from him. He was numb and dumb founded realizing it was a tiger that he saw. He just kept silent and did not dare to move though a bit. Luckily the tiger did not saw him as it walked on the other direction of where Kusdianto sat. Though he only could see the back side of the tiger, he thought it was big enough and felt sure that it was a male tiger. He saw the tiger went out of green belt that exists nearby in the acacia plantation. When the tiger had left him, he felt so scared and in rush climbed the acacia tree. He then realized that the tiger was heading to the direction where his two friends searched for river. Kusdianto shouted from the acacia tree reminding his friends to be very careful, that’s the thing that he could think of to help his friends.

Kusdianto (in front) and his team mate in the forest equipped with their field supplies. Photo: Kusdianto/ WWF-Indonesia, Tesso Nilo Program

Kusdianto was sitting on one of the acacia branches for about fifteen minutes when finally his friends back to their camp. “I can’t imagine that I can stay for some minutes in that small acacia tree” Kusdianto reminisced. “I must be so scared and what I can think to save me is climbing that acacia tree” he added. Seeing Kusdianto on the tree, his two friends laughed at him and asked why he did so. Kusdianto then went down and told his friends about what he had just experienced. Together then they tried to search for foot prints around the area to document this occurrence, but unfortunately the land was so dried so that no evidences of the tiger foot prints could be seen.

They then decided to collect dried twigs for making fire camp for their protection. They spent the night in the tent and fortunately there was nothing bad happened. In the morning they went on their trip continuing their survey. Along the survey, they did not find any signs of Sumatran tiger around, but they found some signs of endangered wildlife such sun bear, tapir and also tiger preys.