Sumatran Tigers Kill One, Trap Five Others in Aceh National Park 
 
 Banda Aceh. Search and rescue crews began the long trek into the depths of the Gunung Leuser National Park on Saturday to rescue five men who spent the last three days trapped in a tree after Sumatran tigers killed and ate a sixth member of their party, police said. 
 
 A 30-member team entered the 7,927 square-kilometer national park on Saturday after villagers’ attempts to rescue the men were thwarted by the site of four Sumatran tigers near the base of the tree, Aceh Tamiang Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Dicky Sondani said on Sunday. 
 
 “It might need two or three days to walk on foot to the depths of Leuser jungle,” Dicky said. “If the tigers are still under the tree, we will have to shoot and anesthetize them so that we can rescue the five [men].” 
 
 The men, all residents of Simpang Kiri village in Aceh Tamiang district, entered the dense national forest in search of the agarwood — known locally as gaharu — a rare and extremely expensive type of heartwood used in the production of aromatic oils and incense. Resin-infused agarwood is the result of a mold that infects the alim tree (aquilaria malaccensis), an endangered tropical evergreen found in the jungles of Southeast Asia. 
 
 A kilogram of agarwood can fetch some Rp 5 million ($505), Dicky said, but the jungles of the Gunung Leuser National Park house dangerous tigers and elephants. The police recently had to rescue another group of men trapped in the park, he said. 
 
 “It’s worse this time because there are tigers waiting for the villagers,” Dicky said. “People keep entering the jungle to look for alim wood because it’s very expensive; up to Rp 5 million ($505) per kilogram. But, well, that’s the risk; there are many tigers and elephants in Gunung Leuser’s jungle.” 
 
 The men were attacked by tigers on Thursday after they caught and killed a tiger cub in a snare meant to catch a deer, police said. Nearby tigers drawn to the scene of the injured cub and pounced on the men, killing and eating 28-year-old David as the five others climbed a tree to safety. 
 
 The residents of Simpang Kiri village entered the national park after the men called for help on their cell phones. But as the villagers neared the tree, the site of four large tigers and David’s partially eaten remains kept the rescue party at bay. 
 
 They have remained in the tree for three days. 
 
 Tiger attacks have become increasingly common in Sumatra, where palm oil and pulp plantations have destroyed much of the rainforest, shrinking animal habitats and putting the endangered tigers in contact with local residents. More than a hundred Sumatran tigers are believed to roam the grounds of the Gunung Leuser National Park, according to reports. ||||| Image caption The huge Gunung Leuser national park straddles the border of North Sumatra and Aceh provinces 
 
 Several tigers have trapped five Indonesian men up a tree in a national park on Sumatra island, after mauling a sixth person to death, police say. 
 
 The group was attacked on Thursday after they accidentally killed a tiger cub. One man died while the others managed to flee up some branches. 
 
 The survivors alerted nearby villagers using mobile phones. 
 
 It could take rescue crews up to three days before they find the men in the Gunung Leuser jungle, officials said. 
 
 The national park covers nearly 7,930 sq km (3,060 sq miles) along the border of North Sumatra and Aceh provinces. 
 
 A 30-member search team entered the jungle on Saturday, police chief Dicky Sondani said. 
 
 "It might need two or three days to walk on foot to the depths of the jungle," he said 
 
 Failed rescue attempt 
 
 Villagers had tried to rescue the men on Thursday but retreated when they saw at least four large Sumatran tigers circling around the base of the tree. 
 
 "If the tigers remain under the tree, we may have to shoot or sedate them to rescue the five people," Mr Sodani added. 
 
 The six men, all from Simpang Kiri village in Aceh Tamiang district, had ventured into the national park in search of rare incense wood. 
 
 "People keep entering the jungle to look for the wood because it's very expensive," the police chief said. 
 
 "But that's the risk: there are many tigers and elephants in Gunung Leuser jungle." 
 
 The group set up deer traps for food, but accidentally caught a tiger cub. 
 
 The injured animal drew nearby tigers who then pounced on the men and killed a 28-year-old only identified as David. 
 
 The smallest of all tigers, Sumatran tigers are a critically endangered species only found on the Indonesian island. 
 
 As few as 350 remain in the wild, of which the largest population lives in the Gunung Leuser national park.
– Five Indonesian men have been trapped up a tree since Thursday, when they accidentally killed a tiger cub and were subsequently chased up the tree by Sumatran tigers. A sixth member of the group was killed by the tigers, the BBC reports. The group was in a national park looking for agarwood, a rare wood used to make incense, which can be sold for around $505 a kilogram. They were trying to trap deer for food, but one of the traps caught a tiger cub instead; adult tigers came to investigate and attacked the men. Those who escaped up the tree used cellphones to call for help. Local villagers tried to rescue them, but were scared off by the four large tigers still circling the tree. Thirty members of a search and rescue team arrived at the Gunung Leuser jungle Saturday, but the police chief says it could take as long as three days for the team to reach the men. "If the tigers remain under the tree, we may have to shoot or sedate them," he adds. (The Jakarta Globe indicates he's talking about shooting them with an anesthetic.) Another group had to be rescued from a similar situation recently.