Tapaktuan, Aceh. The Sumatran tiger population has continued to decline as the animal is pushed to the brink of extinction.

"There are now only 500 of them left, and their number is constantly decreasing," Rusman, an official at Gunung Leuser National Park, said here on Thursday.

He said the tigers continued to be hunted, trapped and pushed out of their natural habitat by villagers clearing the forest for plantation areas.

"Hunting has actually declined, but the opening up of plantations continues to pose a serious threat to the remaining Sumatran tigers," Rusman said.

As a the size of the tigers' natural habitat continues to shrink, he said, the animals are more frequently entering plantations and residential areas in search of food.

"The loss of the animals' natural habitat has resulted in frequent conflicts between tigers and the local population [living or working] near the forests," Rusman said.

He said South Aceh district, which is located in the national park, experienced the largest number of encounters between humans and Sumatran tigers, as well as other wild animals such as elephants and bears.

The number of incursions by animals into nutmeg-producing areas has gone up each year. From 2006 to 2008, more than 10 villagers were killed by tigers.

Rusman said that to minimize the risk of conflict between tigers and people, he and other national park officials had been educating residents about conservation and the country's Animal Protection Law.