West Lampung. A villager was found dead in a plantation near a national park in West Lampung Regency, Sumatra, on Tuesday, in what authorities suspect was a tiger attack.

The dismembered body of Zainudin, 28, a resident of Kegeringan Village in Batu Brak District, was discovered two days after he left home to work on his farm.

Zainudin’s elder brother, Romidin, who first discovered parts of the body, reported seeing tiger footprints at the scene, which is located near South Bukit Barisan National Park.

“I panicked when I found a dismembered arm and noticed tiger footprints nearby. I immediately returned to the village and informed relatives and neighbors about what I saw,” Romidin said.

On Wednesday, a rescue team was sent to the location, where they recovered Zainudin’s remains, his cellphone, and farming tools, including a hoe and a pesticide sprayer.

Zainudin had left his home on Sunday after informing his brother that he was going to work on the farm. Originally from Purworejo, Central Java, Zainudin had moved to Lampung to work on a coffee plantation.

Following the incident, local authorities have urged villagers to temporarily avoid farming in the area and to exercise caution around the national park. Residents were advised not to venture into the plantation alone and to avoid the area during nighttime.

The Sumatran tiger (Panthera tigris sumatrae) is the smallest surviving tiger subspecies. Classified as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), there are fewer than 400 individuals left in the wild, primarily due to habitat loss and poaching.

South Bukit Barisan National Park, where the attack occurred, is one of the few remaining strongholds for Sumatran tigers. However, human-wildlife conflicts have become more frequent as agricultural activities encroach upon their habitats.

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