Create awareness that hunting with snares is prohibited

WWF-Malaysia is yet again dismayed to note that one more Malayan tiger is lost from the wild, as reported in “Big cat caught in wild boar trap” (The Star, Feb 16).

In the span of about one month, we have lost six tigers in the wild, including two cubs.

This is a considerable number of wild tigers lost in such a short span of time.

In this case, we applaud the orang asli who did not try to kill the tiger or sell it after he found it caught in his snare, opting instead to report the incident to the authorities.

This perhaps shows some level of understanding by the orang asli of the tiger’s critical status.

However, although the orang asli are allowed to hunt wild pigs, the use of snares by anyone including them is strictly prohibited under the Wildlife Conservation Act 2010.

Under this Act, anyone found guilty of possessing or setting snares is liable to a maximum penalty of RM100,000 or a three-year jail term.

Hence, awareness of the prohibition under this law for the

general public and in particular the orang asli needs to be increased.

This is where the Department of Orang Asli Development and other relevant agencies can increase their efforts in educating the orang asli, especially in creating awareness on subsistence hunting and livelihoods.

WWF-Malaysia would like to reiterate that it is crucial now more than ever to ensure that our forests are well protected and managed by increasing resources or having joint collaboration work with the agencies working on the ground.

We hope the injuries suffered by this tiger are not serious and that it will be released back to the wild if it makes a full recovery.

DATUK DR DIONYSIUS SHARMA

Executive Director/CEO

WWF-Malaysia