Endangered species to get boost in habitat

Sumatra's endangered elephants and tigers should get a boost from an Indonesian government move to expand one of their last havens, a 4-year-old national park on the island, said conservation group WWF yesterday.

But WWF warned that increased efforts would be vital to ensure that poaching and other illegal activities, like unsanctioned logging and settlement, did not continue in the park, known as Tesso Nilo, in Sumatra's Riau Province.

"This is an important milestone towards securing a future for the Sumatran elephant and tiger," said Mubariq Ahmad, head of WWF in Indonesia, as it was announced in Jakarta that the park area would be more than doubled to 86,000 hectares.

"Tesso Nilo is still under serious threat from illegal activities, but if we can protect the forests there it will give some of Sumatra's most endangered wildlife the breathing room they need to survive," said Ahmad.

WWF, whose international headquarters are at Gland near Geneva, said 60 to 80 elephants and some 50 tigers were believed to live in the area now to be covered by the park.

With 38,000 hectares set up in 2004, it also has the highest lowland forest plant diversity known to science. Some 4,000 unique species have been recorded and many more remain to be discovered, WWF said.

Riau Province is home to about 210 elephants, down from about 1,250 just 25 years ago, and 192 tigers, whose numbers have dropped from about 650 during the same period.

The main cause of the decline of both Sumatran species is deforestation, which in Riau is happening at the highest rate of any Indonesian province, WWF said.

Questions:

1. What is the name of the national park in Indonesia that is going to be expanded? 

2. When was the national park built? 

3. Riau province in Indonesia is home to how many elephants and tigers?

Answers:

1. Tesso Nilo.

2. 2004 (four years ago).

3. 210 elephants and 192 tigers.