After witnessing Sumatran tigers kill their friend, five Indonesian men climbed up a tree to escape death. Fortunately they are all still alive, but they have been stuck in the tree for four days (and counting)!
According to local police chief Lieutenant Colonel Dicky Sondani, the men originally went to Mount Leuser National Park to look for rare incense wood. On their journey, they set up traps to kill deer and antelopes for food but a tiger cub unluckily ventured into one of the traps. Tigers retaliated by attacking the men. One of the men’s friends was mauled by a tiger while the five others climbed to safety in the tree.
On the fourth day, the men were finally discovered with four tigers surrounding the base of the tree. Thirty rescuers arrived at the scene but said it would take two to three days to rescue them. Although villagers had previously tried to help, they quickly abandoned the scene as soon as they saw the tigers.
Sumatran tigers are the smallest tiger subspecies. There are only about 400 to 500 that still exist today.
(Image courtesy of Sarah Cheriton-Jones)