Harsher penalties needed for tiger poachers

The harshest penalty yet has been handed down to two Indonesian wildlife poachers caught trying to sell a Sumatran tiger pelt. In Aceh Province the two men each received a 4 year jail sentence as well as $3300 fines or more jail time if they can't pay. The Sumatran tiger is highly endangered with only about 400 tigers left in the wild so the harsh sentences represent a system getting tougher on traffickers than in previous times. Sadly the penalties need to be more of a deterrent than the maximum of 5 years considering the huge prices gained from the sales of body parts and pelts. The loss of just one animal when there are so few left brings them closer to inevitable extinction unless dramatic intervention occurs and the harshest of penalties are brought into law. Somehow 5 years just doesn't seem nearly enough for taking the life of such a magnificent animal.