Poacher Peril (10 page)

“Should we let Wicaksono know that we tagged him?” said Zoe.

“We can't,” said Ben. “Then we'd have to tell him all about Wild. They seem to believe we're just tourists who stumbled across this horrible plot. It shouldn't do him any harm.”

Back at the village, the wooden cage was winched on to the back of the sanctuary's truck. The cubs were put into a smaller box. Zoe and Ben stroked Tora's magnificent fur through the bars as she slept.

“Goodbye,” said Zoe. “You're going to a lovely new home where you and your children can be safe.”

Barbara came over to join them. “She'll need a name. Any ideas?”

They pretended to think. “How about Tora?” suggested Ben.

“Tora it is. And the cubs? They're a boy and girl.”

Zoe opened her mouth.

“Don't you dare suggest Fluffy and Wuffy!” warned Ben with a grin.

“What are your names?” asked Barbara. “We'll name them after you.”

“Ben and Zoe,” they chorused.

“Perfect!” said Barbara.

“What happens next?” asked Ben.

“Our vet will do an examination and tag them, like you do dogs and cats,” said Barbara. “Then they'll be set free in the reserve. Hopefully the mother will establish her territory and live a long and happy life. There's a male there already so she may have more cubs in time. Which is what we need if we're going to save the Sumatran tigers.”

She turned, paid the villagers and got into the cab of the truck. Then she leant out of the window, waving a notepad at Ben and Zoe.

“Stick your email address on here,” she called. “I'll send you an update.”

“And what about the poachers?” asked Zoe as she wrote. “There was Catur and two others, and they're still free.”

“That shop over there is where Catur's selling animal parts,” added Ben.

Barbara smiled. “I'll tell the police. Those villains will soon know what it's like to be hunted!”

With a throaty roar, the truck set off. Ben and Zoe watched until it had bumped out of sight in the early morning sunshine. Tora and her cubs were on their way to a safe new home.

“I hope they don't find our little tracking device when they examine Tora,” said Ben, as they walked slowly through the market place.

“They'll never be able to work out where it came from.” Zoe grinned. “You know what's really good?”

“Fish and chips,” said Ben.

“No,” said Zoe, giving him a friendly shove. “That collector will have to do without her family of stuffed tigers. I wonder if Erika's got any info on her.”

“Hope she's been caught,” said Ben through gritted teeth.

Zoe nodded. “That would be perfect. Course, we won't be able to put any of this on our website.”

“It would make a great blog,” agreed Ben. “It is a pity we've got to keep it all secret.”

Zoe gave a huge yawn. “I need some sleep.”

“And I need food!” added Ben. “I wasn't joking about the fish and chips.” He pulled out his BUG. “I've got the hang of this now. We must let Uncle Stephen know about Tora.” He pressed the hot key for Wild HQ.

“Hello, Ben.” Uncle Stephen's voice came through loud and clear. “Is everything all right?” he asked. “Has our friend gone to her new home?”

“Yes,” answered Ben simply. He was dying to tell his godfather every detail of the adventure but knew he couldn't risk being overheard. “Can't talk now.”

“I understand.” They could hear the happiness in Uncle Stephen's voice. “That's brilliant! I knew I could count on you. And Erika's had a successful mission, too. I'm sure she'll tell you all about it when she picks you up tomorrow. I'll see you back at HQ for a debrief.” The connection was cut.

“Hope Uncle Stephen will give us a new mission when we see him,” said Ben as they took the path to their hut. “Wonder what it'll be.”

“I know one thing,” said Zoe. “It'll be wild!”

WILD RESCUE

SUMATRAN TIGER FACTS

TIGER SURVIVAL

Ninety-five per cent of the worldwide tiger population has been lost in the last hundred years!

No. of tigers living in the wild today
about 4,000

No. of tigers living in the wild 100 years ago
about 80,000

No. of subspecies of tiger 100 years ago
9

No. of subspecies of tiger in the world today
6

Sumatran, Amur, Bengal, Indochinese, Malayan,
South China (there are possibly none of this subspecies left in the wild)

The Sumatran tiger is the smallest subspecies of tiger.

Length (from head to tail):
Male – 2.4m
Female – 2.2m

Weight:
Male – 120kg
Female – 90kg

Some tiger parts are said to have magical properties. The right front paw bone is thought to be the strongest. It is put into a glass of warm water. After a short while the water is drunk to treat headaches.

THREATS

POACHING

Killing tigers – and selling their body parts – is banned worldwide. However, this doesn't seem to be enough to stop tiger poaching, even though poachers know that if they're caught they face up to five years in prison and a very heavy fine.

DEFORESTATION

Some areas of rainforest are logged illegally in order to sell the wood and land is often cleared for oil palm plantations. As its habitat disappears tigers cannot find enough prey and may stray into areas close to villages, where they risk being shot.

HUNTING

There are still people who hunt tigers for the pleasure of the kill.

It's not all bad news!

The
Sumatran Tiger Trust
is fighting for the future of the Sumatran tiger. It is funded by the South Lakes Wild Animal Park in Cumbria.Their tiger preservation team captures and re-releases tigers into safer areas. They send information on the location of Sumatran tigers to the Indonesian government, so it can forbid logging in areas where tigers have been found. The trust also tries to persuade loggers to leave ‘corridors' of trees so that the tigers can move about from one forested area to another.