Three Sumatran tigers were killed after falling into traps

Only about 400 of the critically endangered tiger species remain in the wild, according to authorities.

A female and a male tiger were discovered dead on Sunday near a palm oil plantation in Aceh province on Sumatra island, with leg injuries inflicted by a snare trap, according to local police head Hendra Sukmana.

He added a snare still trapped in another female tiger's almost-severed neck and legs was discovered hours later approximately 500 metres away.

The authorities have urged the public and plantation enterprises not to lay snares in locations where wild animals may pass through.

According to Agus Arianto, the chairman of the Aceh conservation agency, an autopsy is being conducted by a team of vets to identify the cause of the tigers' deaths.

"We strongly condemn this incident," Mr Arianto said, adding that "we will help with law enforcement officials in an inquiry."

He also said that several traps similar to those used to catch wild boars on farms were discovered in the vicinity of the tigers' bodies.

Those who willfully kill protected animals face up to five years in prison and a fine of 100 million rupiah ($7,000) under Indonesia's Conservation of Natural Resources and Ecosystems law.

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature's red list of threatened species, Sumatran tigers are the most severely endangered subspecies, and they are under rising pressure due to poaching and a diminishing forest habitat.

Only 400 left in the wild

Only about 400 Sumatran tigers are thought to be left in the wild.

According to conservationists, the pandemic has increased poaching as locals turn to hunting to supplement their earnings.