Malaysia: Injured tiger rescued in Tapah

The Star 15 Feb 16;

TAPAH: A tiger has been rescued from a trap set for wild boar in a plantation here.

The 17-year-old animal, weighing about 200kg, injured its legs, said Tapah police chief ASP Noor Shahariman Ngah.

He said an orang asli man identified as Waslostri Usop, 38, had set the trap to catch wild boar in Ladang Eden, Batu 10, Jalan Pahang.

He said at about 4.30pm Sunday, Waslostri lodged a police report saying that a tiger was caught in his trap.

ASP Noor Shahariman said a team of 25 people from the police, the Perak Department of Wildlife and National Parks, and the National Wildlife Rescue Centre in Sungkai, set out to rescue the tiger.

As the team could not fire tranquilliser darts at that time, it resumed the operation at 8am Monday.

The animal was released from the trap after eight darts were fired, he said.

The tiger was then brought to the National Wildlife Rescue Centre and the Sungkai Wildlife Conservation Centre for treatment.

This is the second incident involving a tiger in the country in about two weeks.

On Feb 5, a pregnant tigress was killed after being hit by a vehicle as it crossed the East Coast Expressway 2 in Pahang.

It is believed that there are only about 300 tigers left in the wild in Malaysia. – Bernama

Big cat caught in wild boar trap
The Star 16 Feb 16;

TAPAH: An injured tiger has been rescued from a wild boar trap in a plantation here.

An orang asli man Waslostri Usop, 38, was shocked to find the tiger in his trap at Ladang Eden, Batu 10, Jalan Pahang, on Sunday and alerted the police.

Tapah police chief ASP Noor Shahariman Ngah said a team of 25 from the police, Perak Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan) and National Wildlife Rescue Centre in Sungkai, responded.

But they had to delay the rescue operation till yesterday because it was already dark when they reached the site.

Perak Perhilitan director Rozidan Mohd Yassin said the rescuers fired a tranquilliser dart at the animal, which was injured on its legs.

He added that the animal was between 14 and 17 years old, and weighed about 170kg.

The is the second incident involving a tiger in the country in about a fortnight.

On Feb 5, a pregnant tiger was killed after it was hit by a vehicle as it crossed the East Coast Expressway 2 in Pahang.

It is believed that there are only about 300 tigers left in the wild in Malaysia.

In Kuala Nerus, Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said Perhilitan was ready to work with the Malaysian Highway Authority to do a detailed study for the construction of wildlife crossings over highways.

He said the ministry wanted to build the crossings, estimated to cost from RM3mil to RM4mil.

“The Government, through Perhilitan, has decided to create wildlife corridors where animals can move more freely to find food and shelter,” he said after visiting a coastal management project at Pantai Tok Jembal here.

He said wildlife was at risk due to the construction of roads, dams and hydro-electric power plants, and this resulted in elephants and tigers being forced to migrate in search of food and shelter.

New home for rescued tiger
IVAN LOH The Star 17 Feb 16;

SUNGKAI: The National Wildlife Rescue Centre has a new resident tiger.

The injured animal – now named Yeop Tapah – rescued near Kampung Orang Asli Batu 10 is set to be resettled as it is too dangerous to be released back into the wild after it was caught in a trap set for wild boars.

Perak Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) director Rozidan Mohd Yassin said the male tiger, aged between 14 and 17, was too dangerous to be released back into the wild following its encounter with humans.

“It will attack humans. The tiger will remain at the centre for breeding and conservation purposes,” Rozidan told reporters after visiting the tiger here.

He said the tiger, weighing about 170kg, had hurt its right front paw.

“The paw is swollen but it is not serious. The tiger is healthy and behaving aggressively due to the new surrounding.

“It is best that we don’t further stress the animal as it may injure itself again,” he added.

He said the tiger was ensnared at its roaming area between the Royal Belum and Bukit Fraser range.

“It was within its habitat range on the boundaries between Perak, Kelantan, Pahang and Terengganu. We estimate there are between 400 and 450 tigers in peninsular Malaysia,” he said.

Rozidan said Perhilitan was mulling action against the orang asli who had set the trap.

“We recorded statements from the orang asli yesterday. It is an offence to lay traps to catch animals in the jungles,” he said.

“Those found having a snare trap can be fined RM100,000 or jailed three years or both.

“Those found guilty of laying the trap can be fined between RM50,000 and RM100,000, and jailed two years.

“We have urged the people, especially the orang asli, to stop laying these traps.

“The orang asli usually lay these traps and wait for about a week. If they do not catch anything, they will just leave them there.

“Any animals trapped later could die of stress and hunger.”


Brushes with tigers lead to concerns over extinction
The Star 19 Feb 16;

KUALA LUMPUR: The crossing of paths by man and tiger in two instances this month in Terengganu and Perak has put the spotlight on the plight of the Malayan tiger.

Scientifically known as panthera tigris jacksoni, the Malayan tiger has been classified as critically endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.

No wonder there was much concern when a pregnant tigress died after being rammed by a MPV on the East Coast Expressway 2 in Terengganu on Feb 6.

On Feb 14, a tiger was caught in a wild boar trap near Tapah, Perak.

Wildlife Protection and National Parks Department deputy director-general 1 Abdul Kadir Abu Hashim said a study undertaken two years ago revealed the existence of between 250 and 340 tigers in three major areas – the Belum-Temengor Tropical Forest in Perak, the National Park in Pahang and the Endau-Rompin Tropical Forest in Johor.

“This does not reflect the total tiger population in the country because there are jungles where no study has been made on these animals.”

Abdul Kadir said that between 2010 and last year, the department recorded 28 cases of tigers having been snared, killed, smuggled and people having tiger parts in their possession. — Bernama