Two Tigers and Two Leopards

It was reported today that Thai cops seize carcasses of 2 tigers and 2 leopards from Malaysia. Of all places, it was not seized at the Malaysia-Thai border but in Bangkok! So how can such huge wildlife slipped through the many Malaysian border checks - police, custom, immigration and army? If you ever go to Thailand entering around Sadao, Thailand you will be irritated with so many border checks. But how these carcasses in ice boxes could passed through the border? You tell me.

According to the report, the suspects were a local Thai and a Vietnamese caught at Kannayao area. Initial investigations by Thai cops revealed that the carcasses were destined for the China market, via Thailand, Laos and Vietnam. The Thai cop said the carcasses were smuggled from Malaysia through Sadao in Songkhla and each tiger could fetch RM70,000.

Big money involved big players. So long as corrupt officers are in the take there will be more poaching in the jungle of Malaysia. Today, the jungle transversing Ulu Muda Forest Reserve and Belum-Temengor complex has 2 tigers and 2 leopards lesser. Who cares!

Tiger skins and elephant tusks seized

February 11, 2012
Star
By ISABELLE LAI

PETALING JAYA: Tiger skins and elephant ivory tusks were among wildlife parts seized by the Wildlife and Natural Parks Department (Perhilitan) in a successful bust.

A team of 12 Perhilitan officers from Kedah raided two houses in Mukim Tokai, Pendang, and Kota Sarang Semut, Kota Setar at around 3.15am yesterday.

The team seized eight tiger skins, nine elephant ivory tusks, 22 plastic bags suspected to be filled with wildlife bones and a tusk suspected to be from a barking deer.

“The seized items were taken from an unnumbered house in Lot 30, Kampung Sungai Dedap, Kota Sarang Semut in Kota Setar,” Perhilitan said in a statement.

It warned that the act of keeping wildlife parts was illegal and offenders could be prosecuted under the Wildlife Conservation Act 2010.

“Owning tiger skins, elephant ivory tusks and wildlife bones without a permit is illegal and offenders can be fined up to RM100,000, jailed up to three years or both for each offence,” it said.

Perhilitan said a male suspect had been detained and remanded at the Kota Setar police station for further investigation.

Wildlife trade monitoring network Traffic hailed the bust as very significant.

“It is shocking to learn he had in his possession all these parts from protected animals.

“Further investigation to determine where these items were obtained from and who else was involved is crucial,” said Traffic South-East Asia senior programme officer Kanitha Krishnasamy.

She said the arrest of this individual with nine ivory pieces was an excellent opportunity for intelligence-led investigations to crack down on the illegal ivory trade.

Malaysia has seized more than six tonnes of ivory worth millions of ringgit in the last seven months, most of which were transshipped.

‘Green courts’ to protect the environment

Saturday January 14, 2012 MYT 5:34:00 PM
Star

PUTRAJAYA: A man who stole 11 cans of Tiger beer and Guinness stout was jailed for five years. And another man who had illegal possession of a dead tiger got away with a RM7,000 fine.

“Clearly our values are misplaced. Surely, our tigers are worth more than the 11 cans of Tiger beer,” Chief Justice Tan Sri Arifin Zakaria said when opening the 2012 Legal Year and Conference of Judges here Saturday.

To end this problem, specialised “environmental courts” may soon be introduced in the country to handle cases involving environmental crime.

Arifin said there should be an end to the lack of sensitivity to such crimes.

He said the judiciary would provide more training to its judges and officers on environmental law.

He also issued a stern reminder to members of the judiciary not to abuse their position and to avoid exposure to corrupt practices.

Judges and officers, he said, should continue to maintain the dignity and integrity of their office.

“We should at all times conduct ourselves in a manner befitting our position in society.

“Always bear in mind that your conduct, be it in private or in your official capacity, is subject to public scrutiny.

“In conducting a trial, do it with decorum,” he said.

Arifin also urged lawyers to stop making wild and baseless accusations against judges.

“This is because your words are taken seriously by the public. Such allegations may undermine the integrity of the judiciary,” he said.

He also announced that from this month, all criminal and civil appeals in the Federal Court would be heard by a five-man quorum, aimed at improving the quality of judgments and decisions.

At the same function, Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail said the Peaceful Assembly Act was meant to encourage freedom of expression.

He said there had been consultation with the various stakeholders including the Bar Council before the Act was passed.

“However, in consulting with the stakeholders, we are still governed by the Official Secrets Act. The bottom line is that there can never be a perfect' legislation.

“It can only ever hope to be a right' legislation to meet the exigencies of the relevant time.”

Wildlife trade haven, uninterrupted

Tue, 27 Jul 2010
By Hilary Chiew
freemalaysiatoday.com

COMMENT Tiger in A’Famosa Resort exploited for commercial gain. Two women from Madagascar arrested at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) for smuggling more than 400 pieces of rare species from the island state off mainland Africa. An apparent criminal syndicate was busted with not only stolen cars but scores of protected birds and other mammals in a warehouse in the capital city.

These are very likely, pardon the cliché, the tip of the iceberg of the extent of wildlife abuse and trafficking in this country that constantly boasts of being one of the 12 mega biodiversity centres in the world.

And they all have one thing in common – they were not exposed by the Department of Wildlife and National Park (Perhilitan).

The exploit of A’Famosa was filmed by a young girl who was disgusted with the state of abuse the majestic cat was subjected to in a profit-driven outlet capitalising on the draw of the animal in the lunar calendar year of the tiger, no less.

The KLIA seizure was carried out by the Customs Department while the “mini zoo” discovery was purely accidental and opportunistic, piggy-backing on a police raid.

Sure, Perhilitan has some successful enforcement cases that it announced now and then through press conferences. And in no way am I belittling the efforts of its Wildlife Crime Unit.

However, seizure is one thing and bringing the matter to justice is another. Unfortunately, the latter is sorely lacking.

Tiger exploitation

Take the case of A’Famosa. Perhilitan said it is awaiting a statement from the videographer or whoever that posted the clip on popular video-sharing site YouTube before handing the investigation paper to the Attorney-General's Chambers.

Sound fair enough. Let’s just hope that it won’t be conveniently forgotten once the hype is gone.

Prior to the outcry generated by this YouTube posting that culminated in a protest outside the resort supported by local showbiz celebrities Rina Omar and Bernie Chan in late May, the same resort had also been criticised for capitalising on the species which is the animal in the Chinese zodiac for the 2010 lunar new year.

The YouTube video was evidence of such activities during the Chinese New Year judging from the background music.

At the same time, Saleng Zoo had also jumped on the bandwagon of the “roaring business”. It even ran a “tiger-for-loan” scheme for corporation or just anyone who is willing to pay a few thousands ringgit to temporarily “own” a cub for a few hours to do whatever with it as they pleased.

The zoo near Kulai, Johor, has been involved in a controversial tiger-breeding programme where the mortality rate of tiger cubs was high as well as being implicated in supplying cubs to other aspiring zoos and individual collectors; an activity that is not covered by its Special Permit as far as public knowledge is concerned.

But the zoo is unperturbed – it never fails to publicise the birth of its cubs, with an unabashed business sense. Somehow the births are timed perfectly for some festive celebration around the corner. And unsuspecting newspapers duly provide coverage, throwing in the patriotic act of boosting tourism for the state.

Permit to abuse

The issue begged a fundamental question – why are entities like A’Famosa, Saleng Zoo and Danga Bay Petting Zoo which are devoid of any conservation purposes allowed to keep totally protected animals like tigers?

In twisted logic fashion, these entities justified their utilisation of the animals for photography sessions as a financial source for feeding and upkeep of the animals.

Totally protected species like tigers, elephants and orangutans can only be kept with a document called Special Permit issued by Perhilitan. This document generally lasts for a year and could be suspended if conditions had been contravened by its holder. And this document is only approved by the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment upon favourable advice by Perhilitan.

This permit generally allowed its holder to import, export, confine and breed the animals. In the case of zoo operators, they are allowed to display but it is deafeningly silent on “extra” activities like being forced to participate in photo-prop or providing rides.

Technically-speaking, the A-G's Chambers may not be able to find any faults with these operators unless the charge is centred on cruelty to wildlife as provided for in the Protection of Wildlife Act 1972.

Section 92 (1) c reads: houses, confines or breeds any wild animal or wild bird in such a manner so as to cause it unnecessary pain or suffering including the housing, confining or breeding of any wild animal or wild bird in any cage, enclosure or hut which is not suitable for or conducive to the comfort or health of the wild animal or wild bird.

(The new law – Wildlife Conservation Act 2010 which was passed in the recent parliamentary session – is yet to come into force, hence does not apply to these cases.)

Given that complaints of animal cruelty against these three private outfits are not new, it is highly irresponsible of Perhilitan in continuing to renew the permits, not to mention that there were no suspensions.

In fact, the rather telling revelation from Saleng Zoo over the public uproar on tiger for photography session, was that it was ordered by Perhilitan to stop such activities “until further notice”.

According to Perhilitan’s published guidelines on zoo operation, it is desirable that public and private zoos are members of Mazpa (The Malaysian Zoological Park Association), which tried to promote good practices of animal-keeping entities. Saleng Zoo is not – yet it continues to exist in an apparent lawless situation.

A’Famosa has been implicated in orangutan smuggling in 2005. After a long investigation, mainly on DNA verification of species and not on the smuggling racket, a total of seven animals were repatriated to Sumatra.

A salient feature in this episode was the presence of a Special Permit issued by Perhilitan that explicitly enabled A’Famosa to import and hold orangutans.

The penalty – none, safe for the initial RM1,000 compound when the offence was first detected in 2000 by the department itself. However, Perhilitan as the management authority of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species did not seize and repatriate the animals until the matter was exposed by the media.

Smuggling haven

As for Perhilitan’s capability of solving trans-boundary smuggling like the hundreds of radiated tortoises from Madagascar or the earlier spate of Indian star tortoises, the results are appalling.

Save for some seizures, we hear nothing about the fate of the human couriers. Were they ever charged? What kind of information did the investigation yield?

Why were the two women not “allowed” to complete their mission in a “control delivery” fashion so that they could lead the enforcers to the ultimate smuggler? It’s baffling that after so many cases involving the syndicate adopting similar modus operandi, Perhilitan failed to institute such a simple Standard Operating Procedure. Training had been provided to agencies like Customs that are on the frontline of the war against wildlife trafficking by Perhilitan and the Asean-Wildlife Enforcement Network (Asean-WEN).

Malaysia has been a partner of the Aseanf-WEN since its launch in December 2005. The main task of the largest network of its kind is to strengthen enforcement through intelligence-sharing and to destroy the syndicate behind this crime against biodiversity and our shared natural heritage.

However, except for possibly some small fries (that also we are unsure) that are compounded or fined a few thousand ringgits at most, the syndicate bosses continue laughing to the bank.

Early this year, Malaysia's notorious image as a wildlife transit hub was splashed across the reputable National Geographic magazine. The shaming didn’t seem to bother the government much and hence possibly explain why neither the police nor the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (where reports had been filed by concerned animal rights groups) bothered to act.


Wildlife conservationists had long lamented that flora and fauna are last on the list of politicians and decision-makers as they don’t have a voice. Perhaps if only those animals have a right to vote every five years will the government sit up and listen.

While the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment claimed that a task force was set up to investigate the matter, it side-stepped the serious allegation of corruption within the highest order of Perhilitan. It is satisfied with the offer by the high-ranking officer, who was implicated with wildlife trader Penang-based Anson Wong in illegal wildlife trade, to institute legal redress in her personal capacity.

That approach is a bit odd and we are still waiting for the officer to follow through with her promise. And along with that, at stake is the integrity of Perhilitan, the ministry and the Malaysian government.

Nevertheless, following numerous expose on the abuse of the Special Permit, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Douglas Uggah had ordered that all applications are to be deliberated at the ministry level.

However, the ability of the ministry is doubted. Often, matters regarding wildlife are referred to Perhilitan by virtue that it is supposed to be the expert, custodian of wildlife management and no less enforcer of the law.

Loopholes remain

Finally, after 13 years, a new legislation governing wildlife was passed by Parliament early this month.

Some quarters celebrated. They were largely pleased that the penalty for several types of offences, particularly the one dealing with poaching and illegal trading, had been increased, and, therefore, it is assumed that these would have the desired deterrent effect.

The public is relieved and hopes to see the new law provide the promised bites.

Yet, if it has taken this long, one would expect a major overhaul to plug all the loopholes. It is disheartening to see that weaknesses in the old law are being repeated in the new law.

If you want to keep totally protected animals, you can still apply for a Special Permit. If you want to operate a zoo with highly endangered species, just apply too.

If in 1972, totally protected animals are still plentiful, in 2010 and beyond, these species are becoming extinct.

So, what’s the justification for importing, exporting, keeping and breeding these animals bearing in mind that all these activities are incentives for wildlife trafficking? Are we indirectly encouraging poaching?

Some quarters would like to see the passing of the bill as a breakthrough but the provision for Special Permit that is retained is suffice to burst the happy bubbles.

The battle against wildlife trafficking in Malaysia is not over; it just got tougher because by the next round of amendment, there is probably no totally protected species to defend.

Hilary Chiew is a socio-environmental researcher and freelance writer based in Kuala Lumpur.

Tiger Being Abused For Money

Saturday May 22, 2010
Uproar over abused tiger claim
By MARTIN CARVALHO and JASON LIOH
Star

MALACCA: A 500ha resort in Alor Gajah, with its own safari, has attracted the attention of animal lovers and authorities here over a video clip on the Internet allegedly showing the abuse of a drugged tiger during a photography session.

The two-minute clip first appeared on YouTube in February with the title “Tiger Being Abused For Money.”

It shows what seems to be a heavily sedated tiger on a raised platform and occasionally being propped up by its handler.

The recording also includes an audio recording of an unknown person questioning, in Cantonese, the alleged mistreatment of the tiger.

The person also mentions that she was told that patrons had to fork out RM15 to pose for photographs with the tiger.

When contacted, Malacca Society Against the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) president Vincent Low said he was not shocked by such allegations as they had received complaints about the resort previously.

“It is a wild animal and should not be subjected to such treatment. Not only is it inhumane to treat the tiger in such a manner, it is also dangerous for patrons,” he said.

A Famosa Resort general manager Allan Chee denied the abuse allegation.

“There is no evidence that the tiger was drugged or abused by its handler,” he said, adding that he was aware of the video clip and had received numerous inquiries from the public.

Chee said the animal was a captive-bred tiger and was considered very tame and comfortable around humans.

“Tigers are nocturnal and those here are very well fed and become very lazy and lethargic during the mid-morning. So, it is natural that the handlers had to use extra coaxing to move the heavy tiger into position,” he said.

He also denied the resort charged RM15 for patrons to take photographs with the tiger.

“We only charge patrons if they ask us to photograph them with our instant camera,” he said.

A check revealed the resort had removed all negative comments from its Facebook fan page.

It is learnt that WWF Malaysia had also received numerous complaints over the video and had advised those concerned to take it up with the Wildlife and National Parks Department.

It is learnt that SPCA had submitted its recommendation to the department to ensure that animals at the resort were not abused.

Video posted here

Tiger year and the tiger story

Star’s headline read, “Shock over poaching clip”. The Sun’s, “Groups shocked over tiger video on British TV”. And this “shocking news” has poor coverage in the main propaganda newsprints.

Everybody seems to be in a “shock”....syok sendiri maybe. Its a joke that after all these while, after so many incidents of poaching, after so many news related to killing of wildlife in Malaysia....and these people still claim to be in a “shock”. “Syok sendiri” should be more appropriate. I have seen how the army shot a wildlife at night in the jungle – without knowing what they were shooting. They just aimed at the reflective eyes when shone with the spotlight. Tell signs and leftover of poaching have been seen everywhere in the jungles.

There was one case, when we were not allow into the Temengor area by the Forestry. However, the next day we saw a group of men on 4WD coming out from that jungle. There was double standard. So tell me how can poachers get into the jungles if the Forestry were so strict to layman like me. I think it is more of the “pagar makan the paddy”. I would brand those as “Traitors to our natural heritage”.

First, we must know that the video clip was first shown in Britian. Why was it not shown here? Simple answer. It will be brushed aside. Whistleblower will be picked up harassed instead. People who reported or submitted the video will be sued...it is just that simple. Don’t you see that this is Bolehland? The criminals always get off the hook.....correct, correct, correct! Remember that? And if they were to be found guilty (once in awhile just to show some work done), then the fines and penalties can easily be covered by the illegal sale of wildlife.

Why the hu-ha about these man-eaters? Some people I met just shuddered off by saying, “what so special of tigers?”. They killed people? Right? Well, for those who have this misconcept, lets go through some education. Infact tigers are part of the larger ecosystem. Researchs have shown that without predators, other animals will be over populated. Take for example, deers will start eating up the every new seedlings and causing the extinction of valuable trees, erosion to river banks, stray deers into populated areas, diseases and grobbing up everything – the herbs etc in the forests. Wouldn’t that be scary?

See the video clip by the British’s Channel 4 TV.

Popular zoo has tame front but may hide 'wild' activities

March 3, 2010
By HILARY CHIEW and JOSHUA FOONG
thestar

IT brands itself as a zoo and brags about the conservation works it does. It also proudly talks of its educational role in highlighting the plight of endangered species.

But behind its animal-loving front, this popular private establishment in the southern part of Peninsula Malaysia could be one of the worst examples of a successful commercial enterprise riding on the back of exploiting, breeding and trading in endangered animals.

This zoo, like several others, has earned a name for itself by announcing the birth of new tiger cubs to coincide with major events like the Lunar New Year, or even to commemorate the death of celebrities like Michael Jackson.

To many, it’s the perfect zoo. The beautiful cubs hog airtime and newsprint space, and the tills get filled by the long lines of visitors.

The Year of the Tiger promises to be a boon for the zoo.

A visit before Chinese New Year revealed that one of its tigresses is pregnant. The zoo also allows tiger cub to be hired and this has been a hit with many companies in the Tiger Year.

“We’re fully booked until year-end,” says the zoo keeper proudly. “People are willing to pay between RM1,000 and RM5,000 to ‘borrow’ a tiger cub for a day.”

He says the zoo has two cubs but only the eight-month-old is used for roadshows. Such activities have conservationists up in arms.

To have perfectly timed cubs require the adult tigers to be subjected to “controlled mating”. This as well as the “tiger cubs for hire” schemes are considered heinous and hardly in line with conservation.

The legality of the “rent a tiger cubs” schemes are also questionable. The zoo claims to have the requisite permits from the Wildlife and National Park Department (Perhilitan) for everything it does but are these possible.

Perhilitan had to step in following a spate of pre-Chinese New Year publicity from establishments with tigers promoting photo sessions.

The zoo keeper confirms department’s order for such sessions to stop: “We have been told to hold on until further notice.”

The zoo’s justification is of course pure economics. “The money is needed to feed the animals,” the keeper says. He says the zoo’s Year of the Tiger roadshow could bring in enough revenue to cover expenses for six months.

“Photography sessions in the zoo would further contribute to 50% of the tigers’ maintenance costs,” he adds.

Another worrying result from the zoo’s breeding programme is the creation of mixed-breed tigers which Perhilitan has acknowledged as “worthless” in terms of conservation.

The Guidelines for Zoological Gardens prohibits the cross-breeding of species but this does not seem to concern the zoo keeper.

He says the zoo is allowed to carry out tiger breeding programme, again under a special permit issued to it by Perhilitan.

He says the zoo currently has 24 tigers and reproduction is controlled by having four pairs of breeding animals. As each pair is allowed to mate twice a year, the average newborns will be 32 cubs annually.

“Over the years, we have been cross-breeding them,” says the keeper. “Yeah, there’s a lot of new sub-species created in this way.” He nevertheless admits that the hybrid specimens produced by the zoo can never be released into the wild, dashing any claims to the zoo playing a conservation role.

Questions to Perhilitan such as if the special permit covered the offsprings and if the breeders are obliged to keep a record of its breeding programme were left unanswered.

Neither was the issue of why a zoo which talks of the need to raise money be allowed to operate a breeding facility.


There are also concerns of whether the zoo is involved in the trading of endangered species.

Asked if the zoo has ever sold cubs to anyone, the keeper merely answers that there is a market for tiger cubs and they could easily fetch between RM15,000 and RM30,000 per animal.

He acknowledges that the zoo has supplied three young tigers to another facility before.

Asked if money crossed hands, the keeper says: “That’s between my boss and them.” A spokesman from the other facility said its special permit was acquired through a subsidiary and the animals were obtained under an exchange programme. He, however, did not reveal what animals were exchanged.

The zoo has a run-down feel to it.

And, there is very little educational element involved. Signage is poor and many contained misinformation or just the basic name of the animals behind bars.

Understand idiot said the orang asli.

"You took away my land. You logged my forest. You built highway into my jungle. You flooded my homeland. You poached my meat. You stole my herbs. I have family to feed too. Where to find food for my family if you greedy bastard take everything? How am I not to kill the tiger (for cash) if you keep on raping my food sources? Stop your greed and I will stop killing tiger. Understand idiot?" said the orang asli.

Wednesday February 10, 2010
WWF: Orang asli being used
By YENG AI CHUN
thestar.com.my

PETALING JAYA: Many middlemen are using orang asli to hunt for wildlife, including tigers, for their parts, said World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Malaysia.

Its chief executive Datuk Dr Dionysius Sharma said the authorities needed to step up their enforcement to protect the wildlife and to prevent orang asli from being exploited by these middlemen.

“The middlemen or syndicates find people to trap and kill for them because there is a demand for wildlife parts,” he said in response to an incident where a tiger was shot and left to die in a snare in Perak last week.

“We need to invest in more equipment and people. Our forests and reserve areas are very large and they are easily accessible due to logging roads and porous borders.

“If we don’t protect our tigers, who will?” he said.

In last week’s incident, an orang asli, Yok Meneh had claimed that he was attacked by the tiger while on his way to gather petai at the Bukit Tapah Forest Reserve last Saturday.

However, it was later found that he had been attacked while trying to kill the tiger which he had caught in a snare.

The animal carcass was later found by the Perak Wildlife and National Parks Department officers a day after the attack.

Malaysian Conservation Alliance for Tigers (Mycat) programme coordinator Loretta Ann Shepherd urged the authorities to come down hard on those responsible for the incident.

She said the death of the tiger must be investigated further so that not only those responsible in snaring and shooting it were brought to book, but also those who had ordered the killing.

She said that if the orang asli were truly involved in setting up the trap and killing the wildlife, they must be prosecuted.

“This would serve as a lesson for them and a deterrent to others. It is not the kind of news to start the Year of the Tiger.

“The law gives allowances to the orang asli to hunt animals but the tiger is not one of them. The orang asli know that it is illegal to kill tigers and they are not amateurs as it was also reported that they had captured and killed other protected animals,” she said.

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Thursday February 11, 2010
Slow, painful death for tiger with bullet and spear wounds
By CHAN LI LEEN
thestar

IPOH: The tiger trapped by a group of orang asli in Sungkai last week died an excruciatingly slow and painful death — so painful that Perak Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) director Shabrina Shariff wept when she saw the body.

The tiger was bloodied — it had taken five bullets, two of them in its eyes. It had spear wounds all over, with the poison from the spears slowly killing it. Its flesh was torn by the wire snare and its left forelimb had been torn off.

Shabrina said she could not imagine the pain the four-year-old male tiger would have gone through since last Tuesday, the first day its limb was caught in a snare.

The carcass was found by Perhilitan officers five days later on Sunday with its left forelimb detached and the bloodied body riddled with gunshot wounds.

“But I am very sure that the pain and trauma it suffered before it died would have been excruciating,” said Shabrina.

“We extracted five bullets from its body, limb and both eyes. Its flesh was badly torn by the wire snare and spears the poachers had jabbed it with,” she said.

Shabrina said it had also been poisoned as the spears used by the orang asli were laced with sap from the Ipoh Tree.

Shabrina said that it was impossible for the tiger, which had been injured so severely, to survive.

“It is one of the worst poaching cases I have seen.

“It was a really handsome and big cat, weighing some 120kg and measuring 1.5m to 1.8m long.

“It had very beautiful fur but sadly, we were unable to restore and preserve its skin due to the extent of the injuries.

“All that we could salvage was its bones, which we will assemble later for display,” she said, adding that for the time being, the tiger was buried at the Wildlife Conservation Centre in Sungkai.

Orang asli Yok Meneh had last Saturday claimed that he was attacked by the tiger while on his way to gather petai at the Bukit Tapah Forest Reserve.

However, it was later found that he had been attacked while trying to kill the tiger, which was caught in a snare set by other orang asli.

Shabrina said the orang asli claimed that they hunted tiger for its meat which was considered an aphrodisiac.

“But I believe that they could be involved in selling tiger parts to middlemen.”

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Oh dear, they killed the tiger — Tay Tian Yan
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com

FEB 11 — I think it is necessary to tell you the tiger’s whereabouts... pardon me, should be its fate instead.

We were told that unfortunate Orang Asli Yok Meneh was attacked and wounded by a tiger when he was collecting petai at the Bukit Tapah Forest Reserve.

Yok Meneh said he endured pain and fought the tiger. Eventually, the tiger slunk away.

Everyone applauded and praised him, saying that he was a modern Wu Song, a Chinese fictional hero who was well known for killing a tiger with his bare hands.

I am afraid that some enthusiastic people even wished to send the heroic tiger fighter rice and medicines.

Oh, it is not necessary to do so!

Yok Meneh was neither unfortunate, nor was he heroic.

Instead, the tiger was the unfortunate one, and it is now a dead tiger.

Perak Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) officers found in their investigation that there was no petai tree there. How could he collect petai when there was no petai tree there?

In fact, he went there with two other men to set up a snare to capture a tiger.

As a result, the wretched tiger’s limb was caught in the wire snare. Yok Meneh and his friends fired several shots at the tiger and waited for the tiger to die.

The next day, they returned to the jungle to collect the carcass, planning to sell it for money.

Unexpectedly, the tiger had not died yet. It attacked and wounded Yok Meneh.

Yok Meneh then returned to the village. He made up a story and became a hero.

The left forelimb of the tiger had been torn off and the detached limb was still caught in the snare.

With bullet and spear wounds, the tiger collapsed about 20m from the site.

The poor tiger could not even live until the Year of the Tiger.

According to investigations, Yok Meneh and his friends had previously killed a lot of tigers and other protected animals.

It reminded me of the South China tiger photo scandal.

Farmer Zhou Zhenglong claimed that he found a believed-to-be-extinct wild South China tiger, and he was able to snap photos of it.

The news shocked the whole country and everyone was so happy to find that the South China tiger was not yet extinct. Zhou became so famous and he received a huge sum in interview and appearance fees.

However, experts later found that the photos were fake, they were in fact replicas of a traditional Chinese lunar new year picture.

The people were frustrated when they found that they had been cheated. Zhou and a few officials who covered for him were charged or sacked.

How is this related to the tiger-killing incident in Malaysia then?

Both of them used a tiger to lie. However, the motives, people’s mentalities and social reactions were totally different.

Zhou only fabricated a tiger while Yok Meneh and his friends deliberately shot and killed a real tiger.

Zhou made use of the people’s care for endangered animals to gain benefits. And Yok Meneh made use of the people’s belief that tiger meat and penises had special functions to earn money.

Chinese people were frustrated over the fake photo incident, resulting in action being taken against those who were involved.

Malaysians, however, did not respond much. It was just a tiger, after all.

But there are not many wild tigers left in Malaysia. The most we have are about 400. How long can these tigers meet the demand of those with extremely high sexual fantasies but low ability?

Please leave the tigers alone. You will get a better effect if you spend about RM30 for a capsule of Viagra. — mysinchew.com

* This article is the personal opinion of the writer or publication. The Malaysian Insider does not endorse the view unless specified.

Tiger which mauled man meets tragic end

February 7, 2010
Star
BY SYLVIA LOOI

IPOH: The tiger that attacked an orang asli man at the Bukit Tapah Forest Reserve on Saturday has been found dead.

A team from the Perak National Parks and Wildlife Department found the male tiger with gunshot and blow pipe wounds within 100m from where it attacked the orang asli.

It had also lost its left forelimb.

Perak National Parks and Wildlife Department director Shabrina Shariff believed the animal could have escaped a trap set by poachers.

“The tiger might have attacked Yok Meneh because it was in pain,” she said on Saturday.

“That is why I was surprised to read that the tiger had attacked a human as tigers are normally reclusive animals which kept to themselves,” she said.

The tiger tipped the scale at 120kg and measured between 1.5m and 1.8m in length. The tiger’s carcass is expected to be taken to the department’s Sungkai office for further checks.

The animal had attacked Yok Meneh, a 47-year-old petai gatherer from the Semai tribe,

Yok Meneh was attacked while he was on his way to gather petai and suffered a deep wound measuring 15.2cm on his back. He also suffered injuries to his hands and legs from fighting back.

Shabrina also urged Yok Meneh to lodge a police report on the matter as he was entitled to a compensation for being attacked by a fierce animal.

She said the department would recommend to the relevant authorities that Yok Meneh be compensated.

Publicity Stunts

All photos taken on 14 Jan 2010 from a moving coach.

When there are elephants, there are tigers too. They coexist. If you want to save the tigers, you have to save the elephants too. And without jungle how can elephants survive? Look at the rampant logging along the Butterworth-Grik highway. What have these Groups (roaring up support to save Malaysian big cat from extinction) do?? Another publicity stunt? Read my earlier article in 2008 here (map included). I did reported to one of them....but no action seen.

I am worry that a great disaster is waiting to happen after the dry season ends. Mud flow will be affecting villages downstream. Muda river will be polluted. Paddy fields in Kedah could be affected (although these logging are from Perak). I may sound pessimistic. But mark my words. Until then, when the disaster happened, it will be another "Acts of God".

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Thursday January 21, 2010
Groups roaring up support to save Malaysian big cat from extinction
By YENG AI CHUN
Star
aichun@thestar.com.my

KUALA LUMPUR: The Year of the Tiger is upon us – but for wildlife conservationists, it has to be the year of saving the tiger from extinction.

The Malayan tiger is down to a mere 500 in the wild in Peninsular Malaysia and it will need a concerted effort from all to double the number under the Tiger Action Plan, WWF Malaysia chief executive Datuk Dr Dionysius Sharma.

However, saving Malaysia’s declining tiger population is no longer a job only for conservationists but needs wider support from the public and private sectors, said

“You can be the person who helped save the tigers, or you can be the one who helped wipe them out,” Dr Dionysius said yesterday.

The Tiger Action Plan, which was launched 2008, aims to have 1,000 wild tigers in Malaysia by 2020.

“This is the best chance we have to seriously attempt to save tigers from extinction, mainly because of the national Tiger Action Plan and policies in place and the unprecedented cooperation between the Government and NGO community.

“With the eyes of the world upon the tiger this year, it is our chance to showcase Malaysia’s commitment towards the target of 1,000 wild tigers,” said Dr Dionysius.

MYCAT (Malaysian Conservation Alliance for Tigers) would also be launching a Year of the Tiger programme, a series of public awareness campaigns targeting schools and both the rural and urban public.

“We will be kicking things off at Dong Zen Temple (in Jenjarom, Selangor), where 1,000 faces will be painted to symbolise the 1,000 tigers we hope to have by the year 2020,” said Dr Dionysius.

The plan mainly identifies five factors threatening tigers – habitat loss and fragmentation; commercial poaching; human-tiger conflict; declining prey base; and science deficiency in the monitoring of tigers and their prey.

TRAFFIC senior communications officer Elizabeth John said commercial poaching was the “most urgent threat” to the tigers.

“Poaching has the capacity to do the most damage in the shortest period of time,” she said.

The tiger population has been decimated due to illegal hunting for their skins, bones and other body parts.

Those with information about illegal poaching or trading can make a report via the Tiger Crime Hotline at 019-3564194 019-3564194.

The Tiger Action Plan was formulated by the Government through the Department of Wildlife and National Parks, together with the Malaysian Nature Society, TRAFFIC South-East Asia, the Wildlife Conservation Society-Malaysia Programme and WWF-Malaysia, using the collaborative platform of MYCAT.

Tiger saved from poachers dies of infection

October 26, 2009
Star
By MARTIN CARVALHO

MALACCA: The wounded male tiger that was rescued from a poachers snare in the Royal Belum National Park early this month died in the Malacca Zoo on Tuesday.

National Parks and Wildlife Departments deputy director-general Misleah Mohd Basir said the tiger died of infection and extreme stress after undergoing surgery to amputate its right foreleg.

“We tried our best to save it first by treating the injured foreleg followed by a subsequent amputation but infection had already spread and the tiger had suffered extreme stress,” she said after closing the World Wild Life Week event at the Malacca Zoo yesterday.

The 120kg tiger was rescued from the forest reserve on Oct 4 by Perak wildlife authorities after receiving information that the animal had been ensnared by an illegal trap.

It was given emergency treatment in Perak before being sent to the National Wildlife Rescue Centre at the Malacca Zoo the next day for surgery and follow-up treatment.

Misleah acknowledged the shortage of a veterinarian at the rescue centre but denied that it was a factor in the tiger’s death.

“The tiger was treated by veterinarians from Kuala Lumpur and was monitored by an assistant based at the centre here,” she added.

In 1987, an injured male tiger was rescued from a snare and treated at the centre here. Although it had only three limbs, the tiger, named Harimau Puchong, went on to become the best animal under the zoo’s breeding programme.

No hunting of sambar and barking deer for two years

Dept: No hunting of sambar and barking deer for two years
July 22, 2009
By TAN CHENG LI
Star

PETALING JAYA: The hunting of sambar and barking deer will be stopped for two years, in a move to safeguard their numbers and ultimately, that of the Malayan tiger.

Wildlife and National Parks Department enforcement director Saharudin Anan said the two-year moratorium on hunting will start this November, when the annual one-month open season for both game species usually kicks off.

He said no hunting licences will be issued for deer this year and next, to allow the declining deer population to rebound and provide a food source for wild tigers.

Wildlife scientists have said that tiger densities depended very much on the abundance of large preys such as the sambar and barking deer, but they have been overhunted in recent years.

Sambar deer numbers have plunged drastically, prompting the International Union for the Conservation of Nature to list the species as endangered last year.

The Perhilitan 2007 annual report revealed that 221 sambar deer and 315 barking deer were captured by licensed sports hunters that year, the bulk of them in Pahang.

The department issued 574 hunting licences for both species that year, which brought in a revenue of RM81,500.

The licence costs RM200 for the sambar deer and RM100 for the barking deer, and permits the capture of one animal.

In Kuala Lumpur, Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Douglas Uggah Embas said the ministry has sought military assistance to help curb illegal wildlife trade in the country.

“The border is so long and the areas are so wide. And many people realise that our jungles are rich in resources and all kinds of flora and fauna.

“But all hope is not lost. We are working with the military to come out with more effective enforcement,” he said when launching the forum, Mainstreaming Biodiversity with a Focus on the National Tiger Action Plan yesterday.

“We have a masterplan and our commitment is to achieve that plan,” Uggah said.

He added that a task force, consisting of enforcement agencies, would also be formed to look into matters pertaining to wildlife poaching and smuggling.

Thai probe shows tiger parts came from Malaysia

By HILARY CHIEW
July 11, 2009

Star

PETALING JAYA: Investigations by Thai wildlife authorities have confirmed that some of the tiger parts confiscated in Thailand last year belonged to the Malayan tiger, a specie found only in Peninsula Malay-sia.

Dr Suchitra Changtragoon from the Forest Genetics and Biotech-nology Group said genetic fingerprinting revealed that the parts came from three species of tigers — the Indochinese, Amur and Malayan.

The group comes under the National Park, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department of Thai-land.

The group investigated 17 meat samples obtained from the seizure of animal parts early this year.

Twelve were found to be tiger meat, three were leopard meat and the rest were meat from the clouded leopard.

Of the 12 tiger samples, five were from Malayan tigers, five were from Indochinese tigers and the remaining two were from Amur tigers.

The findings were published in a scientific journal made available to The Star. The report is also published on the department’s website (http://www.dnp.go.th).

In January this year, three tiger carcasses, weighing up to 250kg, were seized from a truck passing through Hua Hin while in February, two tiger and one panther carcasses were recovered from a truck in Pattani.

In both cases, police said they were believed to have come from Malaysia and the parts were bound for Laos which is believed to be a transit point for Vietnam and China.

Most of the big cats had been cut in half and their organs and pelts removed.

When contacted, Department of Wildlife and National Park’s (Perhi-litan) Saharudin Anan said the results were not conveyed to Malaysia.

“This is news to me. We had requested through the official channels when it was reported that those seizures included the Malayan tiger.

“But until today we are still waiting for the results,” said the law and enforcement division director.

Villagers living in fear of roaming tigers

Again, another conflict between man and beast.

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Sunday July 20, 2008
Staronline

KOTA BARU: Villagers in Kampung Kolam in Bachok near here are worried over their safety after some of them spotted three tigers roaming on the fringes of the jungle near their homes.

To date, some 10 villagers including two children, have seen the animals. Some have even claimed that it was a female tiger and two cubs.

Kampung Kolam is predominantly a farming and fishing village.

Villager Zaidi Yunus, 35, urged the authorities to trap the animals as schoolchildren used the path on their way to SK Kolam.

District OCPD DSP Yahya Sale said police had roped in wildlife rangers, Rela members and Village Development and Security members to trap the tigers.

State Wildlife department assistant director Zaharil Dzulkasly said it was rare to spot tigers in Bachok since it was a coastal area.

Zaharil said that the traditional habitat of the “Malayan” tigers was in places like Jeli, Gua Musang and Kuala Krai.

“We can only speculate that the tigers probably fled from these areas into the forest reserves in Machang which is near Bachok,” he added.