In the heart of Perak, roars from the jungle have kept villagers on edge for months.
Livestock vanished, fear spread, and a village held its breath with every growl.
Did the capture of a rogue tiger finally bring peace to a troubled village near Sungai Siput, Perak?
VERDICT:
TRUE
After six months of alarming residents and preying on livestock, a male tiger was finally captured in a special operation in Kampung Perlop 1 on Thursday.
The capture was made when the 1-year-10-month-old predator entered a trap set by the Perak Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan), about 700 metres from a residential area at around 4am.
Former Kampung Perlop 1 head Khairol Ariffin Abdullah Jalil said the same animal was spotted roaming around the village since the end of last year, causing residents to be traumatised and afraid to go to their gardens and oil palm plantations.
"The tiger's presence has disrupted the lives of the residents, causing significant losses to livestock owners,” he said.
Khairol Ariffin added that no less than 16 cows belonging to residents have been devoured.
“Some residents even heard loud roars and encountered the tiger on the village roadside," he said when met by reporters on Thursday (May 29).
He said the tiger's presence was detected through footprints and signs of attacks around the village and oil palm plantation areas.
"Many residents are afraid to go out to the garden for fear of being attacked. Most of us rely on garden produce for our livelihood. When there are such disturbances, our income is affected," he said.
According to Khairol Ariffin, efforts to capture the tiger have been ongoing from the beginning through the cooperation of residents and Perhilitan, including setting traps at several strategic locations.
"On April 26, a trap was successful, but it caught a panther at that time. This time, thankfully, the one caught is indeed the striped tiger that residents have feared all this while," he said.
Meanwhile, Perak Perhilitan Director Yusoff Shariff said the operation involved more than 20 Perhilitan personnel, including those from the National Tiger Conservation Centre (NRWC).
"The tiger is in good health and will be transferred to the NRWC in Sungkai to become breeding stock. This step is also part of the effort to conserve the striped tiger species in Malaysia," he said.
Yusoff said that so far there is no information indicating the presence of other tigers in the surrounding area.
However, he did not rule out the possibility of a similar threat occurring due to the nature of wild animals like tigers that roam far.
"It is not impossible that others might come from nearby areas such as Kinta or Gunung Korbu.
In this regard, we will continue to monitor and if there are new complaints from residents, Perhilitan will take immediate action," he said.
