Malayan poachers
Malayan poachers are driving the species toward extinction, with fewer than 150 tigers (or 125?) left across the country. New data shows Pahang, Kelantan, and Terengganu as hotspots, where traps litter the forests of Taman Negara. These snares kill not only tigers but also elephants, clouded leopards, sun bears, and deer.
Between 2020 and July this year, 4,466 traps were destroyed—yet poachers still operate freely, many entering through logging roads and rivers. Wildlife officials admit most cases involve foreign nationals from Vietnam and Cambodia, hired inside Malaysia’s logging and palm oil sectors. Still, enforcement remains weak. As usual in Malaysia.
The government signed a pledge in 2010 to double tiger numbers by 2022. A joke. Fifteen years later, the opposite has happened. Less than 150 survive, while corruption, encroachment, and failed policing keep the black market thriving. A tiger is worth up to RM300,000 (US$63,000).
If Malaysia does not confront tiger snares with real action, extinction will come fast. But up until now it’s all empty promises and excuses. Is this the Malayan conservation way?
The Malayan poachers article:
Based on New Straits Times, Malaysia.
Photo via NST.
