It’s no secret that Malaysia’s emblem of strength and sovereignty, the Malayan Tiger, is in dire straits. Back in 2014 we reported that there were only 250 of them left in the wild, and last year the species was officially classified as “critically endangered” by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
So what’s a concerned public to do? Sign an online petition, for starters.
The Malaysian Conservation Alliance for Tigers (MYCAT) has put together an online petition on Change.org appended with the hashtag #NoMoreDeadTigers, and they want you to get in on the movement.
Chief among the petition’s demands is that Malaysian authorities should more forcefully pursue, investigate, and penalise violations of existing conservation laws. This means those who have been convicted of poaching or trading in tigers or other endangered species should be punished with the maximum possible penalty.
The petition also calls for NGOs and civil society to be allowed to contribute to the investigation of illicit poaching and animal trading, a review of sustainable forestry certificates for forests where tigers have been killed, and for there to be a halt to further forest fragmentation in order to provide Malayan Tigers with habitats under natural forest cover.
The petition, once it’s done making the rounds online, will be presented to the Malaysian court system, the Attorney-General’s Chambers, forest certification councils nationwide, and the administration of state governments across the country.
MYCAT is aiming for 100,000 signatures on its petition before Global Tiger Day, which falls on July 29. So far, it’s received 2,077 signatures, so we’re guessing MYCAT needs all the help it can get to spread the word.
It’s not the most you can do to save the majestic Malayan Tiger, but it’s definitely a start. Click and sign on to the petition here, and don’t forget to tell everyone you know about it too.
