Conservationists are calling for increased efforts to protect Malaysia's national tiger.
A Malayan tiger at Zoo Negara near Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Photo: Xinhua
A recent spate of deaths of Malayan tigers has raised concerns about the future of the iconic species. There are fewer than 150 Malayan tigers left in the wild, down from around 3,000 in the 1950s.
Images and videos of a dead Malayan tiger floating in a stream in Kelantan went viral on social media in late June, sparking outrage and concern about the conservation of the species.
Henry Chan, conservation director at World Wildlife Fund Malaysia, called it a “national crisis” and called on all Malaysians to pay attention and commit to protecting the tiger. He suggested increased patrolling of key areas and the use of modern technology such as camera traps and drones for surveillance.
Mark Rayan Darmaraj, country director of the Wildlife Conservation Society Malaysia, stressed that Malayan tigers are threatened by habitat loss, food shortages and retaliatory killings due to human-tiger conflict. Road construction through tiger habitats also increases the risk of fatal collisions with vehicles.
On 6 July, a Malayan tiger was found dead in a drain in Perak, having been hit by a car while trying to cross the road. A month earlier, another tiger was killed in a car accident in Pahang. Between November 2023 and May 2024, four Malayan tigers were killed by cars.
Malaysia has launched an eight-year National Tiger Conservation Action Plan from 2020, with specific conservation tools and support plans. The report highlights the importance of concerted action, political commitment and public support to save the Malayan tiger from extinction.
Cao Phong (according to CNN)
Source: https://www.congluan.vn/ho-ma-lai-dang-tren-bo-vuc-tuyet-chung-post303490.html
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