FORGOTTEN TRACKS - TRACING MALAYSIA’S TIGERS

By Ummi Nadiah Rosli

This is the first of a series of three articles on tigers in conjunction
with Malaysia’s 53rd Independence Day.

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 7 (Bernama) -- The roar of these magnificent creatures
will soon be a mere echo of the past as their fabled ninth life has turned into
their last plight for survival.

Since 1895, the ‘King of the Jungle’ has been a national inspiration; its
majestic figures gracing coat-of-arms and institutional crests, leaving an
indelible mark on the nation’s identity.

Representing strength and courage, the Panthera tigris, or Tigers, are a
stoic embodiment of Malaysia’s progress into the country that she is today.

Fast-forward to 2010 - there are as few as 3,200 tigers left in the wild,
barely spread across 13 countries.

This is a drastic decline from the 100,000 wild tigers that roamed as
recently as a century ago, having lost 93 percent of its original habitat to
humans during the period.

Out of the nine tiger sub-species that existed worldwide, three have been
lost to extinction – the Balinese, Caspian and Javan. Research recognised the
Malayan tiger as one of the six living tiger sub-species apart from the Amur
tiger, Sumatran tiger, Bengal tiger, South China tiger and Northern mainland
Indochinese tiger.

Some tiger populations could be pushed to the same fate, including the
Malayan tiger (Panthera tigris jacksoni/Panthera tigris Malayensis). Recognised
as the ninth sub-species in 2004, the Malayan tiger is unique to the Malay
Peninsula.

While 3,000 Malayan tigers were estimated to exist in Peninsular Malaysia in
the 1950’s, today, the number has dwindled to only about 500. With each Merdeka
celebration, Malaysia’s iconic species is at the point of no return. Will this
year’s Merdeka be any different for our tigers?


UNIQUELY MALAYSIAN

Found in Southern Thailand and Peninsula Malaysia, the Malayan tiger weighs
around 120 kg for adult males and 100 kg for females, and male Malayan tigers
are slightly bigger than their female counterpart.

According to Mark Rayan Darmaraj, Field Biologist from the World Wildlife
Fund (WWF)- Malaysia’s Tiger Conservation Programme, the Malayan tiger is the
second smallest sub-species after the Sumatran tiger.

"The life span of these tigers in the wild can be from 10 to 15 years, while
those kept in captivity can live up to 25 years. We know from the genetic
analysis that the DNA of the Malayan tiger is distinct to other sub-species. At
the same time, very few studies have been done on them, so biologically and
ecologically, they are still very mysterious animals."


POPULATION UNCERTAIN

Listed as an Endangered Species by the International Union for Conservation
of Nature, and in WWF’s "Ten to Watch in 2010" list, preserving the existing
tiger populations has become a race against time.

However, the fact that biological/ecological research on the Malayan tiger
is still in infancy poses a challenge for conservation efforts.

For example, information on dietary preference, morphological measurements,
demographic parameters, social structure, communication, home range sizes, and
dispersal capabilities are all lacking.

Mark stated, "Currently we don’t have much baseline information on tiger
density in our forests, we don’t know exactly how many tigers are there. Only
when we start to figure out how many tigers are in the area, can we provide
tiger-friendly management guidelines for sustainable forest management in
Malaysia."

One of the few available studies is conducted in Taman Negara National Park
from 1999 to 2001 found that tigers occur at very low densities of one to two
tigers per 100 km².

Another study conducted by WWF between October 2004 and July 2005 at Gunung
Basor Forest Reserve in Jeli District, Kelantan, a selectively logged forest,
found 3 adult tigers per 100 km². This indicated that the population of tigers
were 30 percent higher than the highest estimate derived by the earlier
research.

Additionally, preliminary camera-trapping surveys by WWF in the Temenggor
Forest Reserve found at least 6 tigers within a 100 km² study site, further
highlighting the importance of selectively-logged forests for tiger
conservation.

Meanwhile, preliminary camera-trapping surveys under the Johor Wildlife
Conservation Project in 350 square km of Endau-Rompin found a minimum of seven
tigers.

"Although robust density estimates of tigers are not available, based on
our findings, there could potentially be around 493 to 1480 Malayan tigers in
the wild. But with so much of poaching happening and other negative impacts, 500
tigers is a safe count," Mark said.


TIGER CORRIDORS

As tigers have large habitat requirements, the effects of land conversion in
the rainforest, leading to fragmentation and isolation of forest reserves will
severely affect the long-term viability of tiger populations across the
landscape.

Thus, the Central Forest Spine (CFS) identified by the Department of Town
and Country Planning under the National Physical Plan in 2005 is the backbone of
the environmentally sensitive forest network.

The CFS, consisting of 51,000 km² of contiguous forests, is divided into
three landscapes which are the Main Range (20,000 km²), the Greater Taman Negara
(15,000 km²) and the Southern Forest (10,000 km²).

The CFS provides linkages for ecological corridors to connect tiger
populations across three core priority areas which are the Belum-Temenggor
Complex (3,546 km²) Taman Negara (4,343 km²) and the Endau-Rompin Complex (2,389
km²).

These corridors serve as critical ecosystem areas, as well as habitats for
tigers’ natural prey such as sambar deer, barking deer and wild boar.


THREATS TO THE TIGER

Although 45 percent of Malaysia is still forested, the country's apex
predator is gravely threatened by habitat loss, forest fragmentation, prey
depletion, poaching and retaliatory killing.

Accelerating deforestation, especially in environmentally-sensitive areas
particularly in the states of Johor, Kelantan and Selangor for the establishment
of timber latex clone plantations has contributed to the loss of many natural
tiger habitats.

Furthermore, the clearing of forest areas to make way for monoculture
plantations further reduces habitat quality for tigers. The building of roads,
including highways and logging roads is another major threat to tigers and their
prey as they provide poachers with easy access to once remote forests.

The Gerik-Jeli Highway is an example of how roads can fragment a contiguous
habit, in this case, the Belum-Temenggor forest. Access roads into tiger
habitats have also increased human-tiger conflicts.

Conflict areas such as in Pahang, Terengganu, Kelantan and Kedah are
attributed to poorly-planned agricultural development and tiger prey depletion
due to illegal hunting that in turn causes domesticated animal predation by
tigers and retaliatory killings.

In June this year, a 3-year old Malayan tiger was shot by the country’s
security corps, RELA, after it was found looking for food in a village in Perak.

That’s one less tiger in the wild, and a sad ending to the same creature
that adorns our national emblems.

-- BERNAMA