A New Hope For Malayan Tigers

Ummi Nadiah Rosli Bernama 8 Sep 10;

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 8 (Bernama) -- Chopped up into four parts and stored in a refrigerator, forest rangers were aghast with their findings in a house in the Tumpat district of Kelantan.

Believed to have been shot after it was trapped, the head, body and internal organs of the Malayan tiger, an endangered species, was preserved along with its carcass.

This particular case that occurred five years ago is just another grim reminder of how wildlife like tigers, are callously killed for profit.

The tiger is a totally protected species under the Protection of Wild Life Act 1973, and commercial trade is prohibited by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

However, poaching and illegal trading remains one of the most urgent threats for the Malayan tiger.

In a lucrative black-market trade, tiger trafficking does not show any signs of slowing down. Demand is still strong for tiger body parts which are mainly used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and served as a delicacy in wild-meat restaurants.

Could Malaysia be decimating its own national icon?

WANTED: DEAD OR ALIVE

With increased law enforcement in the country and around the region in recent times, there have been more seizures of tigers, alive and dead.

Compared to just one tiger seized in Malaysia from 2005 to 2006, at least 37 tigers were seized in Malaysia from 2008 to 2009, including five Malayan tigers seized in Thailand.

Senior Programme Officer for TRAFFIC (The Wildlife Trade Monitoring Network) Southeast Asia, Kanitha Krishnasamy stated that the level of illegal trade over the last few years have shown significant increase.

"TRAFFIC monitors wildlife trade for plants and animals, and our goal is to reduce illegal wildlife trade in the region. The tiger is one of TRAFFIC's flagship species, along with other animals like the Orang Utans, marine turtles, and elephants.

We are preparing a detailed report in highlighting seizures, and the results show that there has been an increase in illegal trade in tigers, specifically in this region. The smuggling areas identified are in Sumatra, Peninsular Malaysia at the Belum-Temengor area and the Thai-Myanmar border."

Kanitha added that tigers were being poached for meat which are supplied to exotic food restaurants, and for TCM. Furthermore, its skin and head are highly prized as trophies for the affluent and some of them kept as pets.

In Indonesia, tiger parts such as teeth and claws are sought after as amulets, believed by the locals to have curative and magical properties.

Due to persisting wildlife consumerism in Southeast Asia, major markets supplying illegal products still operate openly in many countries.

The region is a major centre for the wildlife trade, both as a supplier and consumer of wildlife products. Hence, monitoring the illegal tiger trade is a cross-boundary issue, most often involving parties from within and outside the region.

"There are no thorough or recent enough surveys on tiger part demand in Malaysia. We are not sure of the level of TCM claiming to be from tiger parts in Malaysia, but from our past experience, we know that a lot of products get channeled to China."

REVISED ACT BRINGS HOPE

TRAFFIC not only monitors the poaching and illegal trade of tigers, but also of its key prey species such as deer and wild boars.

However, operations to clamp down on poaching were previously an uphill battle as the penalties were hardly a deterrent for the perpetrators.

Take the Tumpat tiger case. Under the 1972 Wildlife Act, it is an offence to possess tiger meat, and the Thai national arrested in cutting up the tiger was faced with imprisonment of up to five years or a fine of up to RM15,000. That's a slap on the wrist, as the tiger parts he was in possession with were valued at double that amount.

But in July this year, the Government made great strides in wildlife conservation by passing a bill in Parliament to revise the outdated 1972 Act.

Known as the 'Wildlife Conservation Act 2010', now the punishment for totally protected animal related crimes (which covers the Tiger, Serow, Gaur, Javan Rhinoceros, Leopard, Clouded Leopard or False Gharial) is a fine of not less than RM100,000 and not more than RM500,000, and with imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years.

In addition, Section 87 of the Wildlife Act 2010 hopes to further curb illegal wildlife trade.

Under the clause, any person who sells anything which contains or is claimed to contain any derivative of any totally protected wildlife commits an offence and shall, on conviction, be liable to a fine not exceeding twenty thousand ringgit or to imprisonment for 1 year or both.

SET TO IMPACT ILLEGAL WILDLIFE TRADE

This is set to impact the trade, because as long as you claim to have derivatives like animal bones, meat, fats, skin in the packaging, label or mark on the product, it is considered an offence and the burden of proof has shifted to the person being accused rather than the prosecutor.

Kanitha explained that derivatives are very relevant for traditional Chinese medicine shops as previously, the loophole in the law allowed derivatives to be openly available for sale, and authorities could not confiscate the items.

"Claiming to use derivatives, even if you don't, for publicity purpose only in fact fuels the demand. People will buy it for the sheer reason that they think tiger parts have some medicinal value. This loophole has now been covered with the new act.

"If the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan) sees a product that says it contains wildlife derivatives, they can seize the product without any question because the law provides for it."

The revised Act has also refined clauses pertaining to what the Orang Asli can hunt. This allows better regulation of hunting activities and the more confined list of animals does not include tigers.

TRAINING FOR ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES

Since the law provides for so much more in the revised Wildlife Act, authorities are now armed with the tools and opportunities to improve on enforcement actions.

But can our enforcement officers tell the difference between what is a protected species and what is not?

Since illegal wildlife are often not smuggled in full forms, TRAFFIC has over the years carried out trainings for enforcement officers to recognize what is and isn't illegal.

"TRAFFIC has trained over 1,000 enforcement officers at airports, customs and the judiciary in each of the 10 ASEAN countries.

Through the training, we sensitize them on the smuggling methods. For instance, when they scan a bag, they should be able to detect what they're seeing. Is it batik or endangered tortoises? It could be anything," Kanitha said.

"Moreover, our training with the judiciary is aimed at bringing attention to why poaching and illegal trading are as important as any other crimes. With the new Wildlife Act 2010, we hope that the judiciary system will use these opportunities to the full extent to prosecute more wildlife criminals."

-- BERNAMA

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Forgotten Tracks - Tracing Malaysia's Tigers
Ummi Nadiah Rosli Bernama 7 Sep 10;

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 7 (Bernama) -- The roar of these magnificent creatures will soon be a mere echo of the past as their fabled ninth life has turned into their last plight for survival.

Since 1895, the 'King of the Jungle' has been a national inspiration; its majestic figures gracing coat-of-arms and institutional crests, leaving an indelible mark on the nation's identity.

Representing strength and courage, the Panthera tigris, or Tigers, are a stoic embodiment of Malaysia's progress into the country that she is today.

Fast-forward to 2010 - there are as few as 3,200 tigers left in the wild, barely spread across 13 countries.

This is a drastic decline from the 100,000 wild tigers that roamed as recently as a century ago, having lost 93 percent of its original habitat to humans during the period.

Out of the nine tiger sub-species that existed worldwide, three have been lost to extinction - the Balinese, Caspian and Javan. Research recognised the Malayan tiger as one of the six living tiger sub-species apart from the Amur tiger, Sumatran tiger, Bengal tiger, South China tiger and Northern mainland Indochinese tiger.

Some tiger populations could be pushed to the same fate, including the Malayan tiger (Panthera tigris jacksoni/Panthera tigris Malayensis). Recognised as the ninth sub-species in 2004, the Malayan tiger is unique to the Malay Peninsula.

While 3,000 Malayan tigers were estimated to exist in Peninsular Malaysia in the 1950's, today, the number has dwindled to only about 500. With each Merdeka celebration, Malaysia's iconic species is at the point of no return. Will this year's Merdeka be any different for our tigers?

UNIQUELY MALAYSIAN

Found in Southern Thailand and Peninsula Malaysia, the Malayan tiger weighs around 120 kg for adult males and 100 kg for females, and male Malayan tigers are slightly bigger than their female counterpart.

According to Mark Rayan Darmaraj, Field Biologist from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF)- Malaysia's Tiger Conservation Programme, the Malayan tiger is the second smallest sub-species after the Sumatran tiger.

"The life span of these tigers in the wild can be from 10 to 15 years, while those kept in captivity can live up to 25 years. We know from the genetic analysis that the DNA of the Malayan tiger is distinct to other sub-species. At the same time, very few studies have been done on them, so biologically and ecologically, they are still very mysterious animals."

POPULATION UNCERTAIN

Listed as an Endangered Species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, and in WWF's "Ten to Watch in 2010" list, preserving the existing tiger populations has become a race against time.

However, the fact that biological/ecological research on the Malayan tiger is still in infancy poses a challenge for conservation efforts.

For example, information on dietary preference, morphological measurements, demographic parameters, social structure, communication, home range sizes, and dispersal capabilities are all lacking.

Mark stated, "Currently we don't have much baseline information on tiger density in our forests, we don't know exactly how many tigers are there. Only when we start to figure out how many tigers are in the area, can we provide tiger-friendly management guidelines for sustainable forest management in Malaysia."

One of the few available studies is conducted in Taman Negara National Park from 1999 to 2001 found that tigers occur at very low densities of one to two tigers per 100 km.

Another study conducted by WWF between October 2004 and July 2005 at Gunung Basor Forest Reserve in Jeli District, Kelantan, a selectively logged forest, found 3 adult tigers per 100 km. This indicated that the population of tigers were 30 percent higher than the highest estimate derived by the earlier research.

Additionally, preliminary camera-trapping surveys by WWF in the Temenggor Forest Reserve found at least 6 tigers within a 100 km study site, further highlighting the importance of selectively-logged forests for tiger conservation.

Meanwhile, preliminary camera-trapping surveys under the Johor Wildlife Conservation Project in 350 square km of Endau-Rompin found a minimum of seven tigers.

"Although robust density estimates of tigers are not available, based on our findings, there could potentially be around 493 to 1480 Malayan tigers in the wild. But with so much of poaching happening and other negative impacts, 500 tigers is a safe count," Mark said.

TIGER CORRIDORS

As tigers have large habitat requirements, the effects of land conversion in the rainforest, leading to fragmentation and isolation of forest reserves will severely affect the long-term viability of tiger populations across the landscape.

Thus, the Central Forest Spine (CFS) identified by the Department of Town and Country Planning under the National Physical Plan in 2005 is the backbone of the environmentally sensitive forest network.

The CFS, consisting of 51,000 km of contiguous forests, is divided into three landscapes which are the Main Range (20,000 km), the Greater Taman Negara (15,000 km) and the Southern Forest (10,000 km).

The CFS provides linkages for ecological corridors to connect tiger populations across three core priority areas which are the Belum-Temenggor Complex (3,546 km) Taman Negara (4,343 km) and the Endau-Rompin Complex (2,389 km).

These corridors serve as critical ecosystem areas, as well as habitats for tigers' natural prey such as sambar deer, barking deer and wild boar.

THREATS TO THE TIGER

Although 45 percent of Malaysia is still forested, the country's apex predator is gravely threatened by habitat loss, forest fragmentation, prey depletion, poaching and retaliatory killing.

Accelerating deforestation, especially in environmentally-sensitive areas particularly in the states of Johor, Kelantan and Selangor for the establishment of timber latex clone plantations has contributed to the loss of many natural tiger habitats.

Furthermore, the clearing of forest areas to make way for monoculture plantations further reduces habitat quality for tigers. The building of roads, including highways and logging roads is another major threat to tigers and their prey as they provide poachers with easy access to once remote forests.

The Gerik-Jeli Highway is an example of how roads can fragment a contiguous habit, in this case, the Belum-Temenggor forest. Access roads into tiger habitats have also increased human-tiger conflicts.

Conflict areas such as in Pahang, Terengganu, Kelantan and Kedah are attributed to poorly-planned agricultural development and tiger prey depletion due to illegal hunting that in turn causes domesticated animal predation by tigers and retaliatory killings.

In June this year, a 3-year old Malayan tiger was shot by the country's security corps, RELA, after it was found looking for food in a village in Perak.

That's one less tiger in the wild, and a sad ending to the same creature that adorns our national emblems.

-- BERNAMA