As if Malaysia didn’t have enough to be distressed about, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) this week announced that the country’s national symbol, the Malayan Tiger, is now officially classified as a critically-endangered species.
As of June 23, the Malayan Tiger was declared critically endangered, with only 250 to 340 tigers left in the wild.
When it was recognised as its own subspecies only a little more than a decade ago, the Malayan tiger population stood at around 500.
Today, it is estimated that there are less than 250 mature individual Malayan tigers in the wild, with a population decline of 25% over a single generation (seven years).
A second reason why the subspecies was placed on the critically endangered list is that there are no pockets of forest in Malaysia that contains a population of 50 or more mature tigers.
The sharp decline in Malaysia’s tiger population was first raised last September by the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan) and the NGO Malaysian Conservation Alliance for Tigers (MYCAT).
“This acknowledgement of our research is sadly, a tacit recognition that our tigers face a bleak future,” said MYCAT General Manager, Dr. Kae Kawanishi.
With the country mired in political and economic issues such as the 1MDB scandal and the introduction of the Goods and Services Tax (GST), little has been done to address the plight of the Malayan Tiger since September.
“The concerted efforts of all parties are crucial, from governmental bodies to NGOs to members of the public. All of us need to acknowledge the seriousness of this issue and act fast as the tiger’s extinction is not an option for Malaysia,” said WWF-Malaysia Executive Director/CEO Dato’ Dr. Dionysius Sharma.
MYCAT also calls on the Malaysian public to voice their concern and show their support for their wild tigers. To say no to the use of tigers as medicine, exotic meat or pets; to report wildlife crime to the Wildlife Crime Hotline (019-356 4194), and to let their elected representatives know that this is a problem they want to see action on.
Full details on the current situation of the Malayan Tiger can be found at this link.
