Photo Credit: bobosh_t, Flickr
Malaysia’s national animal, the Malayan tiger, is closed to being extinct. According to The Star’s report, there is an estimate of 250 to 340 tigers left in the Peninsular forests. This is half of the previous estimate which was 500 tigers. The new estimates were derived from studies conducted using camera traps at seven sites across three major tiger landscapes in Peninsular Malaysia, between 2010 and 2013.
According to a joint statement by the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan) and the Malaysian Conservation Alliance for Tigers (Mycat), despite efforts such as the strengthening of legislation and increased patrolling, tiger conservation across the vast tropical landscape continues to face challenges.
“Poaching for illegal commercial trade is the greatest and most urgent threat to tigers in Malaysia, followed by loss and fragmentation of forests.”
Immediate tiger conservation efforts are being explored, and this includes setting up tiger patrol units in the Belum-Temengor, Taman Negara and Endau-Rompin tiger priority areas.
The Malayan tiger has met the IUCN Red List criteria of “Critically Endangered.” In 2008, it was classified as “Endangered.”
See Also: 8 Animals in Malaysia You’ve Never Heard Of
Story and quote from: The Star
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