Extinct Javan tigers, which disappeared almost 50 years ago, could still be alive, researchers have claimed. And while their research has come under significant scientific scrutiny, there appears to be some kind of striped big cat prowling the island of Java.
DNA from the hair closely matched DNA taken from a Javan tiger pelt collected in 1930 and held in a museum, according to the study. However, tiger geneticists have raised concerns about the credibility of the study's findings. Anubhab Khan, a postdoctoral researcher who studies tiger genetics at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark, also reanalyzed the data. Speaking to The Wall Street Journal last week, he said he couldn't confirm whether the hair came from a tiger based on the study's data. However, he told Live Science he has since collaborated with the study authors to conduct a new analysis.
Live Science reached out to study lead author Wirdateti but didn't receive a reply before publication. Wirdateti previously told the WSJ that she was confident the hair came from a Javan tiger.The new research began after Javan resident and conservationist Ripi Yanur Fajar reported seeing a big cat jump between a road and a plantation near the village of Cipeundeuy in the forest of South Sukabumi in August 2019.
Luo explained that the authors didn't compare the same DNA segments across the different sequences.There was also an unusually large number of mismatches between the purported Javan tiger sequences — suggesting data unreliability — and too few quality-control details to rule out the possibility of contamination, Luo said.