Beutong Ateuh Banggalang, Nagan Raya, Aceh · Published · PanduanHewan editorial team
Summary
What you need to know
Sumatran tigers and the people of Beutong Ateuh Banggalang in Nagan Raya, Aceh, live side by side without conflict, Mongabay Indonesia reported on 1 October 2026. Residents of the four villages, on a wildlife corridor between the Leuser Ecosystem and Ulu Masen, look after the forest and do not hunt wildlife. Elsewhere in Sumatra, tiger conflict in 2026 has killed two people in Riau.
- Population of Beutong Ateuh Banggalang
- 4 villages, about 2,400 people source ↗
- Tiger conflicts in Beutong
- None, according to a local customary leader source ↗
- Bird species recorded
- 31 species, 4 Endangered source ↗
- Estimated Sumatran tiger population
- About 600 (forestry ministry conservation directorate, 22 May 2026) source ↗
- Tiger conflicts in Aceh (BKSDA Aceh)
- 76 cases (2017–2021), 40 (2022), 51 (2023) source ↗
- IUCN status
- Critically Endangered source ↗
Where is Beutong Ateuh, and why does it matter for tigers?
Beutong Ateuh Banggalang is a small subdistrict of Nagan Raya regency in Aceh, with four villages (Babah Suak, Blang Meurandeh, Blang Puuk and Kuta Teungoh) and about 2,400 residents. People live from roughly 500 hectares of rice fields, gardens, the forest and the Meureubo River.
The area is a wildlife corridor linking the Leuser Ecosystem with the Ulu Masen forest. A 2021–2023 wildlife survey of the Terangun–Beutong forest recorded Sumatran tigers, clouded leopards and golden cats, and ample prey such as deer, serow, muntjac and wild boar.
A local environmental study group also recorded 31 bird species there, four of them Endangered, including the Aceh bulbul (Pycnonotus snouckaerti).
Sources: Tiada Konflik, Burung Liar hingga Harimau Sumatera Hidup Damai di Hutan Beutong Ateuh ↗
How do Beutong Ateuh residents live with tigers without conflict?
According to Teungku Malikul Azis, known as Abu Kamil, a customary and religious leader in Beutong, residents have for generations lived in harmony with nature, neither damaging the forest nor taking more than they need. They do not hunt wildlife, least of all protected tigers and elephants, and do not see tigers as pests.
“We don’t disturb them, and they don’t disturb us,” Abu Kamil said. Their elders forbade disturbing animals, and anyone who hurts an animal by accident must apologise.
In Mongabay’s 2024 reporting, residents said they left wild boar, the tiger’s prey, alone, and that tigers had never troubled their buffalo and goats. When the forest holds enough food, a youth leader explained, tigers do not come down to the villages.
Sources: Tiada Konflik, Burung Liar hingga Harimau Sumatera Hidup Damai di Hutan Beutong Ateuh ↗ · Warga Beutong Ateuh Tidak Takut “Bertetangga” dengan Harimau Sumatera ↗
What has human–tiger conflict looked like in Sumatra in 2026?
Outside Beutong the picture is different. PanduanHewan has not found an official national tally of tiger conflicts for 2026, but BKSDA reports show incidents in many provinces. In Riau, two people were killed by a tiger at a plantation-forestry workers’ camp in Pelalawan on 7 and 10 July 2026; the Riau BBKSDA set camera traps and two box traps.
In West Sumatra, a BKSDA field office logged its eighth negative encounter of 2026 by May. On 11 August a tiger that had killed goats about 50 metres from a primary school in Palupuh, Agam, entered a box trap and was moved to a conservation institution.
In Aceh, a Gayo Lues resident was injured by a tiger in his garden on 19 May 2026, and in August the Aceh BKSDA responded to a tiger near homes in East Aceh. Tigers suffer too: one was hurt by a wild boar snare in Pasaman on 21 May, and a male was found dead in Mukomuko, Bengkulu, in late April, prompting a ministry investigation into the cause.
Sources: Penanganan Interaksi Negatif Satwa Liar Harimau Sumatera di Kecamatan Pelalawan Kabupaten Pelalawan (SP.267/HKLN/07/2026) ↗ · BBKSDA Riau pasang kandang jebak usai dua orang tewas diterkam harimau ↗ · Nasib Harimau Memprihantikan di Sumatera Barat ↗ · BKSDA Sumbar tangani empat konflik harimau di Agam awal Mei ↗ · Balai KSDA Sumatera Barat Evakuasi Harimau Sumatera yang Masuk Perangkap di Area Permukiman dan Sekolah (SP.397/HKLN/08/2026) ↗ · Warga Gayo Lues diterkam harimau, BKSDA kerahkan tim tangani konflik ↗ · BKSDA kerahkan tim tangani kemunculan harimau di permukiman warga ↗ · Respons Cepat Kementerian Kehutanan Tangani Temuan Harimau Sumatera di Mukomuko (SP.140/HKLN/05/2026) ↗
Why do tigers come into villages?
According to Satyawan Pudyatmoko, the forestry ministry's director general for conservation (KSDAE), turning forest into farmland drives the high level of conflict. An outbreak of African swine fever some years ago also cut the number of wild boar, the tiger's main prey.
Mongabay Indonesia’s West Sumatra reporting names habitat damage and fragmentation as the main factor pushing tigers out of the forest; Rizaldi, an Andalas University scientist, links recent encounters to the mating season. The West Sumatra BKSDA adds land-cover change, hunting and new individuals arriving from other landscapes. Livestock can draw tigers in too: in Pelalawan, the Riau BBKSDA team believed the tiger stayed near the camp because prey animals were kept inside it.
Sources: Kemenhut-Pemprov Lampung optimistis populasi harimau sumatra terus berlanjut ↗ · Nasib Harimau Memprihantikan di Sumatera Barat ↗ · Penanganan Interaksi Negatif Satwa Liar Harimau Sumatera di Kecamatan Pelalawan Kabupaten Pelalawan (SP.267/HKLN/07/2026) ↗
How can human–tiger conflict be prevented?
BKSDA advice is consistent: don't go to gardens alone, avoid working when tigers are active (5 pm to 6 am, says the Aceh BKSDA), clear undergrowth, pen livestock and never set snares. Officers use camera traps and patrols and drive tigers back into the forest; box traps are used when a tiger keeps returning.
The rules have also changed. Regulation 17/2024 on species rescue, in force since 15 October 2024, revoked the old human–wildlife conflict guidelines (P.48/2008). The ministry also stresses habitat protection; on 25 September 2026 two illegal logging suspects were detained in Berbak and Sembilang National Park, Jambi, an important Sumatran tiger habitat.
Beutong Ateuh shows prevention at its most basic: an intact forest with enough prey means tigers have no need to come into the villages.
Sources: BKSDA kerahkan tim tangani kemunculan harimau di permukiman warga ↗ · Pantau Keberadaan Harimau Sumatera di Indragiri Hilir, BBKSDA Riau Pasang Kamera Trap dan Terbangkan Drone (SP. 338/HKLN/07/2026) ↗ · Balai KSDA Sumatera Barat Evakuasi Harimau Sumatera yang Masuk Perangkap di Area Permukiman dan Sekolah (SP.397/HKLN/08/2026) ↗ · Permen LHK No. 17 Tahun 2024 tentang Penyelamatan Jenis Satwa ↗ · Kemenhut Tahan Dua Tersangka Tindak Illegal Logging di Habitat Harimau Sumatera (SP. 555/HKLN/09/2026) ↗ · Warga Beutong Ateuh Tidak Takut “Bertetangga” dengan Harimau Sumatera ↗
How many Sumatran tigers are left, and how are they protected?
The KSDAE directorate estimates that about 600 Sumatran tigers remain, from Aceh to Lampung; the head of the Aceh BKSDA puts 150–170 of them in the Leuser and Ulu Masen landscapes. The IUCN classes the Sumatran tiger as Critically Endangered. On 25 July 2026 the ministry reported that two cubs first filmed in the Kerinci Seblat landscape in September 2025 had been recorded again, healthy.
The Sumatran tiger is listed in the annex to Regulation P.106/2018 (as Panthera tigris sumatrae). Law 5/1990, as amended by Law 32/2024, bans hunting, catching, injuring, killing and trading protected animals, with prison terms of up to 15 years for individuals since Law 1/2026 removed the minimum on 2 January 2026.
Sources: Kemenhut-Pemprov Lampung optimistis populasi harimau sumatra terus berlanjut ↗ · Ketika Marwah Aceh Bergantung pada Empat Raksasa Hutan ↗ · BKSDA kerahkan tim tangani kemunculan harimau di permukiman warga ↗ · Anak Harimau Sumatra yang Terdeteksi pada Tahun 2025 Kembali Terpantau Tumbuh Sehat di Alam Liar (SP.312/HKLN/07/2026) ↗ · Peraturan Menteri LHK Nomor P.106/MENLHK/SETJEN/KUM.1/12/2018 tentang Jenis Tumbuhan dan Satwa yang Dilindungi (lampiran) ↗ · Undang-Undang Nomor 32 Tahun 2024 tentang Perubahan atas Undang-Undang Nomor 5 Tahun 1990 tentang Konservasi Sumber Daya Alam Hayati dan Ekosistemnya ↗ · UU No. 1 Tahun 2026 tentang Penyesuaian Pidana (JDIH BPK) ↗
What happens next
- BKSDA teams are continuing camera-trap monitoring and patrols at the 2026 conflict sites.
- As of May 2026, the ministry said range-wide tiger monitoring data were still being collected and discussed.
- Forestry investigators are widening the Berbak and Sembilang illegal logging case to trace others allegedly involved.
- Whether coexistence lasts in Beutong Ateuh depends on keeping its forest corridor between Leuser and Ulu Masen intact.
How to help
- If you see a tiger or its tracks near gardens or homes, do not approach, chase or try to catch it. Move away and report it to the BKSDA or local authorities.
- If anyone is hurt by a wild animal, take them to a health facility immediately.
- Never set snares, including wild boar snares. Report any snare you find to the BKSDA or national park staff.
- Never buy tiger skins, teeth or other parts; report suspected trade to Gakkum Kehutanan, the forestry law enforcement directorate, or the BKSDA.
Support from outside Indonesia
If you live outside Indonesia and want to fund this work, you can help wild tigers with World Animal Rescue Network.
Related site: PanduanHewan’s founder is also a director of World Animal Rescue Network. PanduanHewan itself does not accept donations, and this invitation is not directed at people in Indonesia.
Common questions
Where is Beutong Ateuh?
Beutong Ateuh Banggalang is a subdistrict of Nagan Raya regency in Aceh province, with four villages. It lies on a wildlife corridor between the Leuser Ecosystem and the Ulu Masen forest.
Source: Tiada Konflik, Burung Liar hingga Harimau Sumatera Hidup Damai di Hutan Beutong Ateuh ↗ · Tiada Konflik, Burung Liar hingga Harimau Sumatera Hidup Damai di Hutan Beutong Ateuh ↗
How many Sumatran tigers are left?
About 600, according to the forestry ministry's KSDAE directorate in May 2026. Full monitoring data are still being collected.
Source: Kemenhut-Pemprov Lampung optimistis populasi harimau sumatra terus berlanjut ↗
Is the Sumatran tiger extinct?
No. Sumatran tigers still live in the wild from Aceh to Lampung and are still breeding, but the IUCN lists them as Critically Endangered.
Source: BKSDA kerahkan tim tangani kemunculan harimau di permukiman warga ↗ · Anak Harimau Sumatra yang Terdeteksi pada Tahun 2025 Kembali Terpantau Tumbuh Sehat di Alam Liar (SP.312/HKLN/07/2026) ↗
Why do tigers attack people and livestock?
Most conflict happens when tigers leave damaged or fragmented forest, when prey declines, or when livestock near homes draws them in.
Source: Nasib Harimau Memprihantikan di Sumatera Barat ↗ · Penanganan Interaksi Negatif Satwa Liar Harimau Sumatera di Kecamatan Pelalawan Kabupaten Pelalawan (SP.267/HKLN/07/2026) ↗
What should I do if I see a tiger near my village?
Do not approach, chase or try to catch it. Avoid going out alone, especially at night, and report it to the BKSDA or local authorities.
Animals in this story
The last surviving Sunda Island tiger population lives in Sumatra. Protecting forest, prey, and movement routes supports a whole living landscape.
A cloud-patterned forest cat from Sumatra and Borneo. Long-term research helps reveal the life of this rarely seen animal.
A large herbivore that disperses seeds and shapes forests. Its conservation needs connected movement space and solutions developed with communities living nearby.
Wild Boar (Sus scrofa). Wild boar have both native and human-transported populations; wild, domestic and feral animals must not be combined into a single population claim.
The sambar (Rusa unicolor) is Indonesia's largest deer, found in the forests of Sumatra and Borneo; it is Vulnerable and protected in Indonesia.
The southern red muntjac (Muntiacus muntjak) is a small deer with short antlers and tusks, found in Sumatra, Borneo, Java, Bali and Lombok.
Sources and references
- Tiada Konflik, Burung Liar hingga Harimau Sumatera Hidup Damai di Hutan Beutong Ateuh ↗ — Mongabay Indonesia, 2026-10-01
- Kemenhut-Pemprov Lampung optimistis populasi harimau sumatra terus berlanjut ↗ — ANTARA Lampung, 2026-05-22
- Warga Beutong Ateuh Tidak Takut “Bertetangga” dengan Harimau Sumatera ↗ — Mongabay Indonesia, 2024-07-29
- BKSDA kerahkan tim tangani kemunculan harimau di permukiman warga ↗ — ANTARA, 2026-08-05
- Penanganan Interaksi Negatif Satwa Liar Harimau Sumatera di Kecamatan Pelalawan Kabupaten Pelalawan (SP.267/HKLN/07/2026) ↗ — Kementerian Kehutanan, 2026-07-10
- BBKSDA Riau pasang kandang jebak usai dua orang tewas diterkam harimau ↗ — ANTARA, 2026-07-13
- Nasib Harimau Memprihantikan di Sumatera Barat ↗ — Mongabay Indonesia, 2026-06-08
- BKSDA Sumbar tangani empat konflik harimau di Agam awal Mei ↗ — ANTARA Sumbar, 2026-05-12
- Balai KSDA Sumatera Barat Evakuasi Harimau Sumatera yang Masuk Perangkap di Area Permukiman dan Sekolah (SP.397/HKLN/08/2026) ↗ — Kementerian Kehutanan, 2026-08-12
- Warga Gayo Lues diterkam harimau, BKSDA kerahkan tim tangani konflik ↗ — ANTARA Aceh, 2026-05-21
- Respons Cepat Kementerian Kehutanan Tangani Temuan Harimau Sumatera di Mukomuko (SP.140/HKLN/05/2026) ↗ — Kementerian Kehutanan, 2026-05-01
- Pantau Keberadaan Harimau Sumatera di Indragiri Hilir, BBKSDA Riau Pasang Kamera Trap dan Terbangkan Drone (SP. 338/HKLN/07/2026) ↗ — Kementerian Kehutanan, 2026-07-29
- Permen LHK No. 17 Tahun 2024 tentang Penyelamatan Jenis Satwa ↗ — JDIH BPK RI, 2024-10-15
- Kemenhut Tahan Dua Tersangka Tindak Illegal Logging di Habitat Harimau Sumatera (SP. 555/HKLN/09/2026) ↗ — Kementerian Kehutanan, 2026-09-25
- Ketika Marwah Aceh Bergantung pada Empat Raksasa Hutan ↗ — Seanteronews, 2026-09-26
- Anak Harimau Sumatra yang Terdeteksi pada Tahun 2025 Kembali Terpantau Tumbuh Sehat di Alam Liar (SP.312/HKLN/07/2026) ↗ — Kementerian Kehutanan, 2026-07-25
- Peraturan Menteri LHK Nomor P.106/MENLHK/SETJEN/KUM.1/12/2018 tentang Jenis Tumbuhan dan Satwa yang Dilindungi (lampiran) ↗ — JDIH Kementerian Kehutanan, 2018-12-28
- Undang-Undang Nomor 32 Tahun 2024 tentang Perubahan atas Undang-Undang Nomor 5 Tahun 1990 tentang Konservasi Sumber Daya Alam Hayati dan Ekosistemnya ↗ — JDIH BPK RI, 2024-08-07
- UU No. 1 Tahun 2026 tentang Penyesuaian Pidana (JDIH BPK) ↗ — JDIH BPK RI, 2026-01-02
This story was written by the PanduanHewan editorial team from the reports and official sources listed; we do not copy other outlets. Facts may change as the story develops; the update date is shown at the top. Send a correction