However, environmental groups have criticised the scheme as a money-making scam that will do nothing to save tigers, which face an increased risk from poachers on the eve of the Chinese Year of the Tiger.
Three
people have already applied to follow in the footsteps of Michael
Jackson and Mike Tyson and keep a tiger as a pet.
The
criteria for taking ownership of 30 available tigers is having a spare
billion rupiah (£67,000) and a minimum of 5 sq kilometre of land on
which to keep the animals.
The
government said the tigers would be constantly monitored in their new
homes and any mistreatment would be punished by fines or jail.
“This idea of selling the tigers
to the public came about after several wealthy businessmen proposed
buying them,” said Didi Wuryanto, a forestry ministry official.
“They
don’t just want to own horses. They want to be acknowledged as special
people with prestige, so they want to keep tigers.”
Environmentalists
warned selling off tigers as pets would encourage tiger poachers. Tiger
poaching is on the rise across Asia ahead of Feb 14, the start of the
Chinese Year of the Tiger.
“It
is an irresponsible move by the Indonesian government,” said Bustar
Maitar, a Greenpeace forest campaigner.
“Selling
tigers is not the solution. The government must protect the animal’s
habitat and stop palm oil plantations taking over. This move will just
encourage poaching among locals at a time when poaching is on the rise
because of the Year of the Tiger.”
There are just 3,200 tigers
remaining in the wild across Asia, according to the World Wildlife Fund,
and they are nearing extinction due to habitat loss.
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