Smiling tiger statue destroyed by the Indonesian army after becoming a laughing stock online

A tiger statue that became a laughing stock online has been demolished by the Indonesian army.

The statue at the entrance of a military base in the West Java area had caused a stir on social media.

The grinning tiger in a small village in Garut was supposed to be a mascot for the Siliwangi Military Command. The big cat had been in place for several years, but only recently found internet fame.

The popularity of the mascot rose after Vincent Candra shared a picture of the tiger online.

On Monday 13 March, the army moved in to remove the tiger, demolishing it with chisels.

Siliwangi military commander Maj Gen Herindra told the BBC the statue had been "made long time ago in Cisewu district. Every unit has their own decision on how the statue was made, but sometimes the artist was not that good."

A parody Facebook page, Indonesia's Humour Ministry known as the Kementerian Humor Indonesia page, said that a lot of people were "broken hearted".

As one of first sites to share the photo last week, they said they felt "a bit guilty" that it had now gone.

To mark the end of the tiger's place at the entrance to the compound, they made a special "goodbye cartoon" to remind everyone of its unique grinning face.

The commemorative cartoon has attracted thousands of likes and comments with many people sharing humorous memes of the tiger.