Act now or lose our tiger

SIMPLE curiosity about how animals live in the wild spurred my interest in wildlife conservation during my childhood, which eventually led me to join WWF-Malaysia as a field biologist under its tiger conservation programme in 2004. My first task was to count the number of tigers in an area which had one of the highest record of human attacks by tigers within the country. This was in an area called Jeli, in Kelantan. Since 2006, there has been no fatal attacks on humans. For some it meant that mitigation measures to reduce conflict were successfully applied. However, the re-survey of tigers here in 2012 showed a 60% decline in numbers, suspected to be caused by the poaching of tigers and their prey. In retrospect, the actual decline of tigers could likely have been the main reason for the reduction of tiger conflicts.
From 2009 to 2012, I continued my scientific journey by pursuing my PhD to better understand the population ecology of tigers in an effort to use science-based assessments in developing recommendations for forest managers to conserve these majestic creatures. Among the novel findings was the discovery that Royal Belum State Park had the highest density of tigers compared with any other site within the country. So you could imagine the hope it rekindled in many of us who did not expect such encouraging news about tiger numbers.
Along the way of my PhD journey in 2009, I had the opportunity of observing a wild tiger in the most unfortunate manner – it was caught in a snare, subsequently rescued and eventually died due to the infection from its snare wounds. Little did I realise that this was probably the onset of the snaring wave that was about to hit us, as WWF-Malaysia's field team did not detect that many snares during this period.
Global tiger numbers have increased from 3,200 in 2010 to 3,890 in 2016; particularly due to the better protection afforded to tigers in India and Nepal. Yet, tiger numbers in Malaysia have dwindled from 500 in 2003 to as low as 250 in 2014. I led the analysis that churned out the 2014 nationwide estimates. Even though these are at best only guesstimates, based on experience on the ground and evidence from seven sites, it seemed that with the exception of Royal Belum State Park, we were already on a slippery slope of having depressed tiger densities that were sustained with poor prey populations. There were many quarters that thought and still think that the figure of 250 is an underestimate. However, if you were privy to observe the upward trend of snares being detected in our forests, you would think otherwise.
Over the past decade, WWF-Malaysia has been trying to save the Malayan tiger within the Belum-Temengor forest complex. Our teams are finding an increasing number of active snares and foreign poacher camps. The increasing snaring trend is alarming, as we may soon be facing an "empty forest syndrome" in which the habitat is void of terrestrial mammals.
From 2014 to 2017 alone, we removed 553 active and old snares within the landscape. There is now evidence to show that tiger density has on average declined by at least 50% within this priority site over the past eight years. If we used Belum-Temengor as a yardstick of our efforts to save the Malayan tiger within the country, it is clear that we are failing. This is despite continuous efforts in advocating the need for greater enforcement to be in place. It is likely that the downward trend of tiger numbers in Belum-Temengor typifies other forests in Malaysia. As such, it is highly likely that Malaysia has less than 250 adult tigers. The scenario is as bleak as the numbers are. We are now in a crisis!
Looking at countries that have managed to increase tiger numbers like India and Nepal, the single most distinctive condition that sets them apart is the attainment of the highest political will from the head of governments. This has enabled tigers to be made into a national priority, and as such, the required actions and funding needed to conserve them is attained and prioritised. We have recently lost the Sumatran rhino. It looks as though we only stood by and watched as its extinction was documented. It troubles me when I wonder, if the same fate would befall the Malayan tiger? The two tigers depicted on our National Coat of Arms is meant to symbolise courage. This courage needs to also be within each Malaysian, to stand united and fight to save our tigers in the wild. If we do not have the strength to do this as a nation, we would be failing in our quest to be a sustainably developed country.
Without specialised and armed tactical teams with enforcement power in place to respond rapidly in tracking down and apprehending foreign poachers, we will lose this fight. Conserving tigers needs to be made into a national priority so that we can respond to this crisis immediately. We can still save tigers by enabling more enforcement boots on the ground with the aid of the army and police, and stepping-up intelligence on wildlife poaching and trade syndicates that lead to arrests and prosecution.
Our tigers are on the brink of extinction, but I believe that there is still hope if we act now, united in our cause to eradicate the threat of poaching! This Global Tiger Day (July 29), I ask for all Malaysians to be an instrument to advocate for greater protection of our Malayan tiger – the symbol of Malaysia's national pride.
Dr Mark Rayan Darmaraj is head of WWF-Malaysia's Tiger Conservation Programme. Comments: letters@thesundaily.com