PETALING JAYA: Malaysia’s newest protected tiger landscape has recorded an estimated 10 to 13 Malayan tigers, including cubs and juveniles, marking the first population baseline for the Al-Sultan Abdullah Royal Tiger Reserve (ASARTR) since it was gazetted in 2023.
The estimate, based on camera trap surveys conducted since monitoring began in 2023, points to active breeding within the reserve.
While it is still too early to conclude whether tiger numbers or activity has significantly increased, these findings set an important benchmark for measuring future conservation efforts, conservationists say.
Panthera Malaysia country director Wai Yee Lam said intensive systematic monitoring at ASARTR had only recently begun, with tigers naturally ranging beyond the boundaries of a single protected area.
“A tiger’s home range extends beyond a single protected area so establishing a reliable baseline takes time.
“What we can say is that prey availability remains a central part of our strategy.
“By expanding pastures and increasing populations of deer and other prey species within the reserve, we aim to ensure tigers have abundant food sources within their core range, reducing the need to venture beyond it.”
Covering 134,183ha and bordering Taman Negara Pahang, the reserve expands one of Malaysia’s largest and most important tiger landscapes.
Managed by Pahang State Parks Corporation and operated by Enggang Management Services, the reserve works with Bringing Back Our Rare Animals, Nature Based Solutions Malaysia, The Habitat Foundation and Panthera Malaysia, to strengthen anti-poaching patrols, habitat and prey management, scientific research and community development.
Enggang Management Services chief executive officer Halmi Hassan said the reserve had established pastures to increase food availability for prey species like the sambar deer and barking deer while deploying patrol teams deep into the forest to deter illegal activities.
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He said establishing the first tiger population baseline would allow conservationists to assess whether long-term efforts were helping the population recover.
The Habitat Foundation programme director Dr Ahmad Zafir said conservation at the reserve extends beyond protecting the Malayan tiger alone.
“The conservation measures we employ are holistic with a strategy to protect the biodiversity of the reserve.
“So, enforcement and patrolling are just as important as habitat management for all the other species that make up the tiger’s ecosystem, ensuring healthy prey populations and the conditions for tigers to breed and to raise their cubs,” he said.
The reserve also works closely with communities surrounding Hulu Tembeling, recognising that people have lived alongside wildlife in the area long before the reserve was established.
Nature Based Solutions Malaysia project development lead Dr Julia Ng said conservation must benefit local communities to build long-term support for protecting the species.
“Our focus is on building trust with local communities by ensuring they see real benefits from living next to the reserve.
“This includes creating employment opportunities, improving livelihoods, supporting community enterprises, investing in capacity building, and strengthening community leadership so that local people can actively participate in and benefit from conservation,” she said.
Ng added that when communities understand the purpose of the reserve and experience these benefits, they are more likely to appreciate the importance of protecting our tigers.
She said the reserve also encourages livestock owners to keep animals in secure paddocks after dusk, educates communities on tiger behaviour and works closely with the authorities to ensure a timely response whenever tigers are sighted or livestock is attacked.
