Tiger goes on camera-crushing spree

Jakarta - Paparazzi-hating Hollywood stars have nothing on a young Indonesian tiger that destroyed three camera traps during a 10-day rampage through the jungle of Sumatra.

In each case, the film inside was spared and revealed that the same culprit was responsible for all three incidents, said conservation group WWF which set the cameras.

The infra-red triggered camera traps are used to photograph wildlife and identify tigers in remote areas.

In less than 10 days, the big cat attacked and destroyed three cameras WWF had stationed 12 kilometres (eight miles) apart.

"Fortunately, the photographic evidence survived," said Sunarto, lead tiger researcher for WWF in the central Sumatran province of Riau.

"We developed the film and were able to identify the same individual in each case -- a young tiger that clearly doesn't like having his picture taken.

"The flash from the camera apparently set him off each time he passed by a camera and he walked over to it and ripped it to pieces with his teeth."

Each tiger's stripe pattern is unique, so the photographs revealed the attacks were the work of one animal.

"We've had camera traps destroyed before by tigers and other wildlife and we've had camera traps stolen by illegal loggers and poachers," Sunarto said.

"But this is the first time we've been able to identify a culprit."

The camera attacks occurred in the Kerumutan Wildlife Reserve, which is surrounded by land about to be cleared by pulp and paper companies, WWF said.

The conservation group said the photos provided evidence of healthy tigers in the area, despite the fact that few people said they had ever seen tigers in the area.

Central Sumatra's tiger and elephant habitat has declined drastically in the past two decades as humans encroach on their forests.

There are estimated to be fewer than 500 Sumatran tigers left in the wild.

Agence France Presse