Seventeen Orang Asli families leave homes over fears of tiger attack

GUA MUSANG: Seventeen families from Kampung Remau, Pos Bihai here had to leave their homes after spotting three adult Malayan tigers roaming around their farming plots and the village area last Friday (Dec 10).

Gua Musang Orang Asli Development Department (JAKOA) officer Azman Ngadiron said the residents had moved to Kampung Tendrik in Pos Bihal since the tigers were spotted in the area.

"There are a few families taking shelter in the community hall as well as the residences of family and friends for the time being fearing an attack by the wild animals.

"We reported the sightings of the tigers, believed to be from one family, to the National Parks and Wildlife Department (Perhilitan) on Friday,” he told reporters here Monday (Dec 13).

Azman added that all the Orang Asli residents from the Temiar tribe had also been given food assistance from JAKOA to ease their burden and hardship suffered because they had to move from their homes.

"We also want to advise the residents around Kampung Remau to be careful and vigilant in carrying out daily activities and inform the relevant authorities if they spot the presence of the tigers.

"The residents are also urged to clean up their plots and residential area to avoid overgrown bushes and shrubs that can provide a hiding place for the tigers before they attack human beings,” he said.

The media previously had reported that Adin Andok, a 45-year-old Orang Asli from Kampung Badak, Pos Bihai, faced an anxious moment when he was attacked by a female tiger on July 4 in an orchard near the village.

Meanwhile, Kelantan Perhilitan director Mohamad Hafid Rohani said that following the complaints received, the department had installed cameras in the area on Saturday and had set two traps known as "Perangkap Wahab" Sunday.

"On Sunday, a total of eight Perhilitan officers conducted an operation to catch the tigers by using live goats as bait for the tigers to enter the 'perangkap wahab' traps.

"This operation needs to be carried out as two tigers are still roaming around the village area as there are food sources (livestock) that are easily available," he said in a statement.

Commenting further, Hafid said based on images and videos recorded by the villagers, they found that the two tigers were in good condition and did not suffer any external injuries.

"However, we cannot confirm whether they have been infected with the Canine Distemper Virus as happened to 'Awang Besul', the tiger that was caught in Kampung Besul Lama, Bukit Besi, Dunggun, Terengganu on July 19, 2019, because these two showed no fear of humans.

"To ensure safety, the residents of Kampung Remau have been asked to temporarily relocate to a nearby village, namely Kampung Tendrik, Pos Bihai and the access road to Kampung Remau is also temporarily closed to facilitate the trapping operation to run smoothly without any interruption," he said.

Canine distemper is a contagious and serious disease caused by a virus that attacks the respiratory, gastrointestinal and nervous systems of animals.

Hafid added that continuous monitoring would be done at the location until the capture operation was successful and advised the public to be more careful and vigilant if they came across wildlife like this. - Bernama