Indonesian army removes tiger statue from base because it became a meme

The tiger stood at the entrance to the base for six years, but then attention was drawn to it on Twitter.

The Indonesian army has torn down a tiger statue at a base in West Java province after it became a local meme within days due to the animal's facial expression. The base command explained the decision to remove the sculpture as “not a very good job of the master,” reports . the BBC

The tiger is the mascot of the Indonesian military unit Siliwangi, which is why statues of the predator are located at many military installations. However, on March 11, Twitter user Vincent Candra noticed a “laughing” tiger near the village of Tsisevu. He told the BBC that he did not take a photograph of the sculpture, but simply found a picture that he decided to share on social networks.

Sandra's post went viral in Indonesia, and the tiger on a military base became a meme within days. Twitter users actively “photoshopped” the sculpture, ridiculing its appearance.

Bloggers also noted that the tiger looks more like a cartoon character than a dangerous predator. So they began to draw the famous tiger, trying to understand how its creator decided to add a wide grin to the predator.

Already on March 13, the Indonesian military responded to the jokes of Twitter users and demolished the popular statue. Before the tiger became a meme, it stood near the base for six years. Army Major General Herindra noted that each unit chooses which sculpture will be placed on the base. According to him, in this case the master “did not do the job very well.”

A spokesman for the West Java unit told AFP that the tigers should look fierce to highlight their bravery and resilience. He noted that the army could not ignore the fact that the tiger statue was being mocked. According to him, a new sculpture will appear near the base in the near future.