Serious data
WWF-Malaysia says Project Stampede has nearly wiped out snares in Royal Belum State Park. In 2018, around 200 active snares were found. In 2023, none. In 2024, just one. In 2025, zero. On paper, that is a 90% reduction. Serious data. But is it reliable?
For two years, only one snare? In one of Malaysia’s largest forests? Either the poachers have vanished or the searches are not as thorough as claimed. Tigers are still critically endangered here, with fewer than 150 Malayan tigers left in the wild. That fact alone should make officials wary of celebrating too soon.
Project Stampede has trained and expanded ranger patrols from 30 to 150, many from the Orang Asli community, and deployed 600 cameras. Some footage has even shown tigers with cubs. But the gap between official data and reality remains troubling. One snare overlooked is enough to kill a tiger. Numbers alone do not guarantee protection. Conservation practices must match reality on the ground.
The serious data article:
Based on The Star, Malaysia.
Photo via The Star.
