PETALING JAYA: The country’s majestic Malayan tiger population is growing, with ongoing conservation efforts bearing fruit.
Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Datuk Seri Arthur Joseph Kurup (pic) said the positive development comes as the government extends its nine strategic conservation actions until 2030 to ensure the long-term survival of the critically endangered species.
Describing it the progress as “encouraging” at the World Tiger Day celebration in Melaka on July 24, he said the official figures would be announced soon.
He added that the partnership between the Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) and local zoos under the Malayan Tiger Breeding in Captivity Programme to boost the animal’s population through natural breeding had resulted in five births, with three cubs surviving, since the programme began in 2024.
Malaysia, one of the world’s 17 megadiverse countries, is home to a wealth of biodiversity but this natural heritage remains vulnerable to irresponsible activities, he said.
World Tiger Day, which will be celebrated tomorrow, serves as a reminder of the importance of conserving the critically endangered Malayan tiger, which continues to face threats from habitat loss, poaching, illegal wildlife trade and human-wildlife conflict, said Arthur.
He said the government remains committed to ensuring the Malayan tiger does not disappear from Malaysia, noting that fewer than 150 were estimated to remain in the wild based on the First National Tiger Survey conducted between 2016 and 2020.
Arthur added that 29 snares were removed across Peninsular Malaysia this year as part of the Integrated Khazanah Operations (OBK).
“A total of 47 illegal camps, seven cases involving the felling and marking of agarwood trees, 185 signs of poaching activity and 151 traces of human activity within protected forests, were also discovered as part of the OBK.
“As of this month, 56 arrests involving 70 suspects, comprising 43 Malaysians and 24 foreigners, were made,” he said, adding that items valued at about RM4.2mil were seized.
Community participation, stressed Arthur, remains a key pillar of the country’s conservation efforts.
A total of 2,500 Community Rangers have been appointed nationwide, including 1,950 under Perhilitan’s supervision.
“As of July, they have carried out 3,684 patrols covering more than 99,000km.”
Arthur said the government had also channelled more than RM1.05bil through the Ecological Fiscal Transfer for Biodiversity Conservation mechanism, which provides financial incentives to state governments to gazette protected areas.
The initiative has resulted in nearly 90,000ha of new protected areas being gazetted in Peninsular Malaysia, strengthening habitats for the Malayan tiger and other wildlife.
