KUANTAN: Stricter enforcement and affirmative steps have to be taken to save the critically-endangered Malayan Tiger from extinction.
In his message in conjunction with World Tiger Day today, the Regent of Pahang, Tengku Hassanal Ibrahim Alam Shah Al-Sultan Abdullah, said although there are laws to protect wildlife and conserve forests in Malaysia, without proper enforcement, these laws would be meaningless to curb international poachers.
"We need government agencies that will be serious in ensuring the protection of our wildlife and habitat. Several tiger conservation efforts are now being implemented in Pahang including the Pahang Wildlife Committee which has been established under the Pahang State Biodiversity Council.
"The committee spearheads efforts to combat poaching activities across the state. The Pahang Wildlife Ranger Unit was formed to be part of the operations while the 'Save the Malayan Tiger' campaign, in line with the efforts of the federal government's National Tiger Conservation Task Force has helped to raise awareness on the issue," he said in a statement today.
The Regent said 57 per cent of Pahang is under forest cover, thus becoming a suitable habitat for tiger breeding far from human settlements.
"The efforts to curb poaching and illegal trade activities will fail if they are not given the same importance as forest protection. I have ordered my state government to look into efforts to increase the forest area every year.
"It is no secret that Pahang plays an important role in providing an ideal landscape for tigers where the species can find suitable habitat far from human beings. Laws to protect forest reserves are important to us as it helps to safeguard water catchment areas and reduce the effects of flooding," he said, pointing out that due to poaching and habitat loss, there are only around 150 Malayan tigers left in the country.
The World Tiger Day celebration started in 2010 when 13 countries with tiger populations, including Malaysia, teamed up in a bid to increase the tiger population.
"This year, Nepal, India, Bhutan, China and Russia have increased their tiger population by extensively carrying out efforts to protect the animals with the support from government agencies and non-governmental organisations. However, the tiger population in Southeast Asia recorded a drop.
"The Malayan tiger denotes strength, fearlessness and courage, and is a symbol of pride of our country as seen on the coat of arms. But the species is now under threat and listed as highly endangered under the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List of Threatened Species," he said.
He called upon all parties to remain committed in efforts to help protect the Malayan tiger, hoping that by doing so the World Tiger Day celebration next year will be more meaningful.
"Youths can play their role by taking full advantage of technology as all real-time information is at one's fingertips. They can equip themselves with knowledge about the tigers, its habitat, the challenges the species face and spread awareness in the community," he said
World Tiger Day is celebrated every year on July 29 to raise awareness about the endangered species.