The Controversy Surrounding the Potential Resurgence of the Javan Tiger: A New Study Reignites Debate

Could the Javan tiger be making a comeback? A recent study suggests so, but it’s sparking debate among geneticists. • Extinct for nearly half a century, the Javan tiger may still roam the island of Java, according to researchers. Despite facing significant scientific scrutiny, evidence suggests a presence of a striped big cat in the area. • Indonesia once hosted three tiger subspecies: Sumatran tigers (Panthera tigris sumatrae), Javan tigers (P. tigris sondaica), and Bali tigers (P. tigris balica), inhabiting Sumatra, Java, and Bali, respectively. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has declared Javan and Bali tigers extinct due to hunting and habitat loss, while Sumatran tigers remain endangered. • The last confirmed sighting of a Javan tiger dates back to 1976. However, occasional reports of tiger sightings on Java persist. A recent study, published in the journal Oryx, claims to have confirmed the continued existence of the creature after analyzing a single strand of hair found in West Java. • The DNA extracted from the hair closely resembled that of a Javan tiger pelt collected in 1930 and archived in a museum. Yet, tiger geneticists have raised doubts about the study’s credibility. • Luo Shu-Jin, an evolutionary geneticist at Peking University, expressed concerns about errors and potential sample contamination in the study’s DNA sequence data. Anubhab Khan, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Copenhagen, similarly questioned the reliability of the hair’s origin based on the study’s data. • While Khan has since collaborated with the study authors to conduct further analysis, uncertainties persist. Although Khan now believes the hair is indeed from a tiger, the subspecies remains indeterminate. • The study’s lead author, Wirdateti, remains confident in the hair’s origin as a Javan tiger, though further research is underway. Investigations by Indonesia’s environment ministry aim to gather additional evidence of Javan tiger presence through camera trapping and DNA analysis.

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