REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JEMBER -- A number of Javan leopard (Panthera pardus melas) sightings were caught on camera traps installed in Meru Betiri National Park (TNMB) located in Banyuwangi and Jember District of Indonesia's East Java Province.

"Dozens of camera traps installed at the core zone of TNMB in 2017 have captured protected wildlife, including leopards," Head of Meru Betiri National Park authority Kholid Indarto stated here on Tuesday.

The camera traps were installed mainly to capture sightings of several large carnivores, such as the Javan tiger (Panthera tigris sondaica), which is believed to have been extinct, and the Javan leopard.

Local officials noted that it is believed that the Meru Betiri was the last known habitat for the Javan tiger.

Nur Kholiq, coordinator of large carnivore monitoring of the TNMB, revealed that as many as 68 camera traps were installed in 34 spots at the core zone of the national park believed to be the habitat of the large carnivores. However, of the 68 cameras, 16 were stolen and damaged.

The core zone of Meru Betiri National Park extends in an area of 27,368.84 hectares, covering around 52 percent of the total area of the national park.

"Camera traps captured some leopard and black leopard residing in the core zone of Meru Betiri. There were no captured pictures of Javan tiger, however," Kholiq revealed.

Based on spot patterns of the big cats on the captured images from the camera traps, the national park official estimated that at least six or eight Javan leopards and black leopards were living in the target area.

There were at least one male Javan leopard and several female ones, Kholiq noted.

Also, there was at least one black leopard in the national park, he confirmed.

Meru Betiri National Park is home to several protected animals, such as Javan bull (Bos javanicus javanicus), long-tailed macaque (Macaca fascicularis), believed to be extinct Javan tiger (Panthera tigris sondaicus), Javan leopard (Panthera pardus melas), dhole or Asiatic wild dog (Cuon alpinus javanicus), leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis javanensis), Javan rusa deer (Cervus timorensis russa), sambar deer (Cervus unicolor), peacock (Pavo muticus), and some species of sea turtles.

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