Happy New Lunar Year, folks, to those celebrating.
Beyond the festive cutesy cartoons and memes of tigers can we make this a real Year for the Tiger, where we see progress in tiger conservation?
The Malayan tiger, which is unique to the Malay peninsula, is on the brink of extinction. There may be only 80 to 120 left in the wild, estimates the International Union for Conservation of Nature, which has put Malayan tigers on its “red list” of critically endangered animals.
Tigers are magnificent creatures. The largest of the big cat family, these iconic animals are strong and powerful, with flame-like stripes that are unique to each one. No wonder they signify power and courage.
The tiger is deeply symbolic to Malaysia, appearing in the heraldry of key institutions, including our national coat of arms (Jata Negara), our national football team (Harimau Malaya), the police, the first national car (Proton) and a bank. There are even tigers on our passports!
It would be ridiculously ironic to lose this national symbol.
Since the 1950s, the tiger population has shrunk by 95%. Wildlife biologist Dr Kae Kawanishi believes it is “highly unlikely” that tigers will survive in the wild into the next century, but concedes it’s possible. “Biologically, tigers can bounce back in numbers as long as their forests are protected.” Other countries have done this.
Tigers are the “ultimate expression of wild nature”, she says. “There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t grieve for their loss.”
Tigers have declined alongside Malaysia’s jungle. They lose their home, they die. In the 1960s and 1970s, there was massive logging of lowland forests which led to a “great decline” in the numbers of large mammals, including tigers, says the Malaysian Conservation Alliance for Tigers (MyCat).
Poaching has also decimated tiger populations, says MyCat. Across South-East Asia, tiger parts are sought for purported medicinal qualities. Every single part of a tiger gets sold, even its blood and bones. Its teeth get used as talismans, its meat in exotic dishes.
I can only hope that the trade will be impacted by the growing recognition that eating and trading wild animals can transfer deadly new viruses to humans. SARS, Covid-19, Ebola and HIV all initially began when viruses jumped from wild animals to us.
The declining numbers of prey species such as wild pigs or sambar deer is also a problem. Tigers have to compete with humans, who hunt with permits (or not).
In the wild, there is a balance, where tigers, as an apex predator, keep populations of herbivores in check, which balances jungle vegetation.
The rewilding of Yellowstone, an American national park, shows the depth of this balance. After wolves were returned to the park in the 1990s, the numbers of elks (their prey) declined, allowing young aspen, cottonwood and willow trees – which elks ate – to flourish. This brought back songbirds and beavers, which led to less soil erosion in rivers, bringing more fish. Wolves transformed the whole ecosystem.
The Malaysian government seems to be serious about tiger conservation, outlining a 10-year plan last month which included having more “boots on the ground” in patrols and enforcement with the police, army and Orang Asli; increasing forest cover by 2040; and tackling encroachment and illegal hunting in tiger habitats. The Wildlife Conservation Act was also amended in December 2021 to enable stronger enforcement, with penalties increased to a maximum fine of RM1mil and 15 years in prison.
All this is great on paper. Let’s hope that we see results in practice.
One major problem not yet addressed which has huge environmental impact is that land is a state issue. The Federal government can enact laws, but state governments ultimately decide. “I doubt any state governments will give up its power to cash in on the forest unless it is compensated in cash,” observes Dr Kawanishi.
States have the power to degazette permanent reserve forests. And they do this often, sometimes covertly. Transparency is lacking, as is accountability from state officials.
Official figures show 130,000ha of forest were lost in Peninsular Malaysia from 2001 to 2019. Yet satellite data shows 725,613ha of primary forest were lost then, the environmental journalism portal Macaranga reported in 2020. That’s an area almost as big as Selangor – it’s just 10% less than the size of the state!
Again and again, we see forest reserves – even water catchment areas – get logged, developed or converted for plantations or mining while Orang Asli rights are ignored.
We need to connect the dots and realise that protecting tigers isn’t just a conservation dream. It’s a survival strategy for humans – yes, us. Tiger conservation requires protecting forests, which brings many benefits – alleviating flooding, maintaining the water cycle, and absorbing carbon dioxide, which addresses climate change.
“The existential crisis is not only upon the tiger but also on our species,” says Dr Kawanishi. We need to go beyond symbols and truly celebrate these majestic cats by letting them live in the wild.
Human Writes columnist Mangai Balasegaram writes mostly on health but also delves into anything on being human. She has worked with international public health bodies and has a Masters in public health. Write to her at lifestyle@thestar.com.my. The views expressed here are entirely the writer's own.
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