BKSDA Sumbar Rescues Sun Bear Trapped in Wild Boar Snare in Pasaman

RRI.CO.ID, Lubuk Basung - The West Sumatra Natural Resources Conservation Center (BKSDA Sumbar) successfully evacuated an adult sun bear on Friday, June 19, 2026, after the protected mammal became entangled in a nylon rope snare meant for wild boars.

The incident took place in a community plantation in Botan, Jorong Kuamang, located within the East Panti Village of Panti Subdistrict, Pasaman Regency, West Sumatra. The rescue highlights the ongoing threat that indiscriminate agricultural hunting practices pose to Sumatra's endangered wildlife.

Head of Pasaman Conservation Region I at BKSDA Sumbar, Edi Susilo, said that the joint extraction operation was carried out rapidly following a public alert. The agency deployed a rescue team alongside wildlife experts from the Centre for Orangutan Protection (COP) and veterinary doctors from the Pasaman Agriculture Department.

"We sedated the bear before the evacuation was carried out," he said, as quoted by Antara.

Medical observations conducted on-site revealed that the captured animal is an adult female sun bear. The examination confirmed she had sustained visible puncture and friction wounds on her leg caused by the tight grip of the nylon line.

To ensure her safety and provide proper medical treatment, responders placed the sedated bear on a stretcher and transported her to the KSDA post located inside the Rimbo Panti Nature Recreation Park (TWA).

The emergency deployment began mid-day on Friday after BKSDA Sumbar received citizen reports and video footage captured by residents of Jorong Kuamang at around 11:46 a.m. WIB. The footage verified that the sun bear was trapped and unable to break free from the rope layout.

"Upon arriving at TWA Rimbo Panti, the bear received medical treatment from the veterinarian," he said.

The incident is part of a recurring pattern of non-target wildlife capture in Pasaman Regency. Just a month prior, on Thursday, May 21, 2026, a critically endangered Sumatran tiger cub under one year of age was found ensnared in a specialized wild boar wire trap in a plantation at Jorong Lima Sempadang, North Padang Matinggi village, Rao Utara District. The young female tiger suffered severe wounds to both her neck and legs.

In direct response to this escalating ecological crisis, BKSDA Sumbar has formally enacted Circular Letter No. 1/2026. The new state mandate imposes a strict ban on the use of dangerous steel wire slings, high-tension cables, and local heavy traps, commonly referred to by locals as jerat rattus Pasaman or jerat babi Pasaman, for agricultural pest control.

The circular serves as a legal barrier designed to safeguard local biodiversity and halt the rising death toll of protected forest species, particularly Sumatran tigers, sun bears, and other vulnerable native wildlife that fall victim to hunting devices meant to control wild boar populations.

Moving forward, the conservation agency plans to collaborate with local village administrations to enforce the regulation and prevent future tragedies.

"We will massively socialize the circular letter to the public through the nagari or village administration, so that protected animals getting caught in snares does not happen again," he said. ***