BANDA ACEH, Indonesia: Three critically endangered Sumatran tigers were found dead after being caught in traps on Indonesia's Sumatra island in the latest setback for a species whose numbers are estimated to have dwindled to about 400, authorities said on Monday. A female and a male tiger were found dead on Sunday with leg injuries caused by a snare trap near a palm oil plantation in the East Aceh district of Aceh province, local police chief Hendra Sukmana said. The body of another female tiger was found hours later, about 500 meters (550 yards) away, with a snare still embedded in her almost-severed neck and legs, he added. Authorities have appealed to the community and plantation companies not to set snares in forest areas where wild animals may cross. An autopsy was underway by a team of veterinarians to determine the causes of the tigers' death, said Agus Arianto, who heads the conservation agency in Aceh. Several traps similar to ones used to capture wild boars on farms were found in the area around the dead tigers, he added.
