(MY) tiger conservation appeal from WWF Malaysia and special feature report on the tiger problem

[Guest guest]

New Straits Times » National

 

WWF: Protest against Nik Aziz's call to shoot all tigers

 

Deborah Loh

 

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 1 2002: World Wide Fund for Nature Malaysia wants the public

to write to Kelantan Menteri Besar Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat to protest his

call to shoot all tigers.

 

At its Save the Tiger Charity Bazaar today, WWF collected signatures for a

petition to Nik Aziz and also displayed the Menteri Besar's office address and

fax number.

 

" We're asking people to make their opinions known. We don't believe Malaysians

want the country to be devoid of its wildlife heritage, " said WWF executive

director Datuk Dr Mikhail Kavanagh Abdullah.

 

Nik Aziz's office address is Pejabat Menteri Besar, Blok 1, Kota Darul Naim,

15502 Kota Baru, Kelantan. The office fax is 09-7442743.

 

Through the Internet (at www.wwfmalaysia.org or www.panda.org), about 7,000

email messages expressing concern had also been sent to Science, Technology and

Environment Minister Datuk Seri Law Hieng Ding, said WWF head of communications

Teoh Teik Hoong.

 

" These e-mail messages were sent in the last two weeks from people all over

the world, " Teoh said. WWF has an on-line template complete with a petition and

the Minister's e-mail address that people can click and send.

 

Today's charity bazaar at the Concorde Hotel included a jumble sale, cat

fashion show, and video show on WWF's tiger conservation projects.

 

Kavanagh said it was hard to raise large sums locally and funding for the

WWF's tiger conservation project at Felda Jerangau Barat in Terengganu came from

WWF International's Tiger Emergency Fund.

 

The project cost RM38,000 and was for the building of cattle paddocks for

livestock breeders. Today's New Sunday Times Special Report covered the project.

 

" It took us a long time to secure the funds, " Kavanagh said. " It would be

better if we could raise the money here as we are quite a rich country. It is

difficult to tell foreign funders that we don't even have money for a paddock

project when we have tall buildings and rapid development. " Kavanagh said many

solutions to tiger-human conflicts were simple and obvious. " Clear the

undergrowth, fence in your animals. But all these require more labour. " Asked if

the Kelantan Government had been presented with these methods, he said no, but

WWF had announced its willingness to help State authorities in tiger management.

 

He also stressed the importance of working with rural folk who were at the

frontline of tiger-human conflicts.

 

" They are experts on wildlife in their own right, even though they are not

scientists. " While urban support for tiger conservation was strong, Kavanagh

said, the rural people should not be preached to about saving wildlife but

offered practical, scientific help.

 

WWF will be collecting signatures for its petition to Nik Aziz at the Mid

Valley Megamall on Tuesday at its " Forest for Water, Water for Life " photo

contest exhibition, from 10am to 10pm.

 

 

 

New Straits Times » Features

 

Focus: Stopping tiger attacks with paddock defence

 

Elizabeth John and Aniza Damis

 

Sept 1 2002: AS Perhilitan struggles to make do with whatever short-term

solutions it has at hand, NGOs like the World Wide Fund for Nature are playing

their part in the conservation effort by coming up with long-term solutions.

 

For the last three years, the WWF has been studying the socio-economic

situation of villagers and the habitat of tigers at Felda Jerangau Barat (FJB)

in the district of Dungun, 75km from Kuala Terengganu.

 

FJB is a poor plantation community by the fringes of the forest that has known

tiger conflict for more than 50 years.

 

But unlike Jeli, the people are not terrified - only extremely annoyed.

 

For the tigers in FJB don't bother humans - they only want the cattle reared

around the oil palm plantation.

 

" Cows are not the tiger's natural food, but since cows were introduced to the

area in the 1970s, the tiger has learnt it is easy prey, " WWF Animal Species

Conservation Unit senior head Dr Dionysius Sharma said.

 

In a 170km square area, WWF's camera-trapping exercise has identified 12

tigers in the FJB area, of which three to four are residents and the rest

transient.

 

Under normal conditions, male tigers will not share their territory with other

males, but the unique thing about FJB is that because food is aplenty, other

male tigers are actually allowed to temporarily share the area.

 

In the same way that people in the city don't need plenty of land to plant

crops and can live in apartments because they can easily get their food from the

supermarket, the tigers' territoriality is less of an issue since for them, the

" supermarket " is the plantation.

 

Sharma believes that in areas like FJB, where unnatural prey is easily found,

the tiger population may be artificially inflated since territorial sharing

increases the density of tigers, making life easier. It also encourages

breeding.

 

While a lot of tigers may be good news, Sharma says what would be more

desirable is a lot of tigers in a naturally sustainable environment, where tiger

and prey are balanced.

 

" If they have all they want in the forest, they won't disturb cattle, so the

conflict is reduced. " But for that to happen, the tiger's habitat has to be

maintained through proper land use management and its prey protected from

poaching.

 

Poor livestock management encourages tigers to move in.

 

In 2001 alone, FJB lost 58 head of cattle. Since each can fetch RM800RM1,000,

and since the mean income of farmers is less than RM1,000 a month, losing a cow

is equivalent to having part of your cash disappear overnight from an ATM

machine.

 

Understandably, the farmers are upset.

 

The reason for such a phenomenal loss, WWF has found, is not that the tigers

are such good hunters, but that farmers are disorganised with their livestock.

 

Instead of paddocking their cattle between dusk and dawn - when tigers hunt -

and setting up safe and proper grazing areas for their cattle, the cows are

allowed to roam free, with some wandering to the edge of the plantation where

the jungle meets and the tigers greet.

 

Since the only quarrel villagers have with the tigers is over the cattle,

WWF's solution is a paddocking programme, whereby 35 farmers will set up seven

paddocks for the cattle (each farmer has some 20-60 cows) from dusk to dawn.

 

" Although there has been some logging and land-clearing, there is plenty of

wild boar and other medium-sized prey in the area. " So, we are hoping when the

tigers learn they cannot get cows, they will go back to their natural prey. "

Even though there is no guarantee the tigers would not instead go for humans as

an alternative, he said that, generally, tigers do not feed on humans as they do

not recognise them as food.

 

So, it is quite usual that when a tiger kills a human, it leaves the corpse

alone.

 

" The importance of this experiment is that if it can be proven to reduce the

conflict between tiger and man and tiger and cattle, then it can be applied to

other areas, " said WWF scientific officer Mohd Azlan Jayasilan Abdul Gulam Azad,

who has been conducting the study for three years.

 

At the WWF-FJB meeting on Aug 12, WWF was still having difficulty getting some

farmers to understand that it was them, and not WWF, who stood to gain from the

project.

 

" Some went into it because they thought it was convenient, " says model farmer

Amzah Abdul Ghani, who even before WWF came up with the project had erected a

paddock for his sizeable herd of 135 cow.

 

" I spent some time thinking about going into cattle rearing, but when I did, I

decided to do it properly. " I make sure they get in before dusk and come out

only when it is daylight. " Even though joining the project would mean Amzah has

to move his cows, he doesn't mind as he likes the idea of a more organised

system.

 

But before this can be done, permission from the plantation manager of FJB has

to be obtained so that the paddocks may be legitimately constructed.

 

The seven groups were given until Aug 20 to get permission but at last count, a

few days ago, only six had done so.

 

What finally transpires at FJB after the paddocks are erected in mid-September

may determine the fate of tigers in forest fringes elsewhere.

 

But for now, the nation can only watch and wait.

 

 

 

New Straits Times » Features

 

Focus: Need for tiger experts, studies

 

Sept 1 2002: Suddenly, we have been awakened to the roar of the tiger. Who

should take responsibility? ELIZABETH JOHN and ANIZA DAMIS explore the problem

spots and see what the Government and the people must do.

 

" It's a terrible thing, but Kelantan Menteri Besar Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik

Mat's call to shoot all the tigers is a good thing! " Coming from Datuk Dr Salleh

Mohd Nor, the Malaysian Nature Society president, such a declaration is almost

as startling as Nik Aziz's statement was shocking.

 

But Salleh qualifies it. He says such a comment by a public figure had pushed

the issue into the public domain.

 

Indeed, in the two weeks since Nik Aziz's outrageous idea was splashed across

the front page of every Malaysian daily (and made headlines on many nature

websites), hardly a day goes by without some vitriolic letter roundly denouncing

the statement as unconservationist and unenlightened.

 

As unenlightened as the call to slaughter may have been, it only serves to

highlight that prior to this, tigers in the peninsula have been trapped or shot

with nary a fuss raised, except from some conservationists and NGOs.

 

The tiger has been a protected species since the Protection of Wildlife Act

1972 was enacted, and a totally protected species since an amendment of the same

Act in 1976.

 

'Totally protected' means it cannot be shot, killed, taken or held in

possession by any person (but exceptions apply).

 

Despite the Government's assurance that it will not heed Nik Aziz's call to

arms, the sight of tigers dead, tigers behind bars and stories of traps being

set by the Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) provides the

disconcerting niggle that such a declaration is just political posturing.

 

" If the tiger is a totally protected species, how can their very guardians be

the ones to capture and kill them? " asked Salleh, referring to the exception in

Section 53 of the Wildlife Act which states that wildlife officers may with good

reason, kill or capture a totally protected animal if it is a danger to human

life or property.

 

" Surely there are other solutions - habitat and prey conservation, for

instance. Has any study been done about these things? How many tiger experts are

there? We have IT experts - is there a tiger expert in the country? And if none,

what are we doing to train some? " If Perhilitan lacks the knowledge and

information, Salleh felt it should start getting that information now.

 

But, according to Perhilitan research director Sahir Othman, that is easier

said than done.

 

" We don't have enough people for that. To begin with, most people doing

research are originally from management. And even then, of the 15 supposed to be

doing research, only eight are available because the others were seconded to

other departments in Perhilitan, " said Sahir.

 

Besides the staff shortage, there is also the matter of insufficient funds.

 

To get a comprehensive assessment of prey-base (the number of prey animals and

species in a specific area) and tigers, a detailed study would need to be

carried out involving camera-trapping equipment. Each camera unit costs at least

RM2,000. In the World Wide Fund for Nature study of Felda Jerangau Barat, for

instance, 18-20 cameras were used for an area 170sq km for 10 months.

 

Another study, by Kae Kawanishi from the University of Florida, at Taman Negara

- the first scientific research on tiger and prey population in the country -

came up with only 61 tiger pictures from the 4,500 taken in 10 months.

 

" If we want to get a good picture of tigers, we will have to work 10 times as

hard, " said Kawanishi, who spent three years on the study.

 

In 1995, a Perhilitan estimate placed the tiger population in Peninsular

Malaysia at 500. But a revision in 1997 put it at 600-650 tigers. However, as no

scientific study was conducted, the figures are guesswork at best.

 

But what good would such studies do? Judging by the discussions at the

Perhilitan Tiger Management Workshop in Kuala Terengganu last week, such studies

could help answer how to manage the human-tiger conflict without either having

to pay the ultimate price.

 

The 40-plus participants from all over the peninsula who attended the workshop

proved to be a passionate and caring lot. They are, indeed, well intentioned -

but quite lost.

 

" Why can't we just move the tigers to another place? " asked one officer.

 

The answer is that because tigers are very territorial, so releasing another

tiger in the same place would start a fight, ending in the death of one.

 

" So, why don't we move them to where there are no tigers? " asked another.

 

Since no study has been done on tiger movements and locations, this cannot be

done. Also, since there is no information of where there would be sufficient

prey, it is also not feasible.

 

" I don't understand: If we have agreed not to move the tigers from their

natural environment, why are we capturing them and putting them in zoos? Isn't

that moving them too? " puzzled yet another officer.

 

" It's very difficult, " sighed Perhilitan Kelantan director Hassan Kassim. When

we shoot the tiger, the NGOs and Press scold us. But when we don't shoot, the

villagers scold us. They ask, 'Which is more important? Humans or tigers?' " Rela

and police personnel, who are also empowered to shoot tigers, also lack

conservation awareness, Hassan felt.

 

" In an emotionally charged atmosphere, with the villagers hysterical and baying

for justice, how can we tell Rela and police 'Don't shoot the tigers'? " Going by

the experiences related by the rangers and officers, Perhilitan's job is to keep

everyone satisfied. But because of this, they often get dirty looks from both

sides as each has opposing needs.

 

Perhaps what complicates matters more is that people know the department has

powers to shoot tigers and, therefore, if it does not fulfil this expectation it

is seen as tiger-hugging traitors of the human race.

 

It is no wonder then that, in Perhilitan's eyes, trapping and shipping them off

to zoos is the most humane solution.

 

Even so, it is not an easy task. In very few of the tiger range States is there

a Tiger Management Unit (UPH) with officers specially dedicated to the task of

working on tiger issues alone.

 

" Today we are the tiger people - we have to find the tiger's range, lug the trap

into the jungle, catch the bait, mix the tranquilliser, shoot the dart, make

sure the tiger isn't stolen by traffickers, then transport it to the zoo, " said

Perhilitan Perak director Jasmi Abdul.

 

" Tomorrow, we are the elephant people, the next day we are the hunting and

poaching people, and on top of that we also have to do the paperwork! " he

lamented, adding that this left Perhilitan officers with little time to do an

in-depth study of tigers.

 

Where the villagers were uncooperative, the four or five rangers and officers

would have to carry the metal traps, measuring 7ft by 35in by 4ft into the

jungle, while all the time looking out for tigers.

 

Even the bait would have to be procured by the officers. If the villagers are

uncooperative, the officers have to find some animal to use as bait and feed it.

In one incident where the villagers were unhappy with Perhilitan, they did not

feed the bait and it died.

 

So few officers have trapping and drug-shooting knowledge that even these

seemingly simple short-term solutions are beyond their grasp.

 

In most of the tiger problem areas, Jasmi said, there are no traps available so

they often have to be carted from one place to another until they fall apart.

Even where there are traps, not all the officers know how to use it.

 

The same could be said for tranquilliser darts. Not only do most areas not have

them, there are also few officers trained to use them. Thus, untrained officers

often have to mix the drug dose themselves. This is very dangerous as an

overdose could kill the tiger and an underdose could kill the officers.

 

Whenever there is an attempt to capture a tiger alive with tranquillisers, there

will be four officers with live ammunition standing by to protect the officer

with the tranquilliser gun should the tiger fail to go down.

 

In an incident in Terengganu, ranger Adnan Ismail had his right hand gnawed by a

tiger which had not been effectively drugged. In order to save him, the tiger

had to be sacrificed.

 

Because of the lack of such specialised knowledge, Perhilitan officers say that

when there is a complaint of tiger activity in an area, all they are often able

to do is patrol the area for a few hours or days. But since this does not solve

the problem, the villagers lose confidence in Perhilitan and take matters into

their own hands.

 

At the last such workshop in 1999, a proposal for the setting up of a tiger

management unit in every tiger range State or district was made but, said

Perhilitan research officer Wan Shaharuddin Wan Noordin, the idea was never

taken up.

 

Another frustration felt by Perhilitan is the lack of cooperation from the

Forestry Department, which oversees the regulation of forest reserves and

forested areas - the natural habitats of the tiger outside of protected areas

that are the jurisdiction of Perhilitan.

 

Often, Perhilitan Terengganu director Ahmad Samsuddin Shaari said, when forest

reserves were going to be opened up, Perhilitan was not consulted.

 

" The problem with working with Forestry is that because it is under the Primary

Industries Ministry, its interest is to make a profit, but Perhilitan's interest

is to conserve animals! " Another area of difficulty is law enforcement. One of

the biggest loopholes that allows for the killing of tigers is in Sections 55

and 56 of the Wildlife Act which allows for the shooting and killing of a tiger

if it is seemed a threat to life or property.

 

Although there are many steps before this final measure may be taken, Abdul

Jalal Kassim of the Perhilitan legal and enforcement division said that often,

it is very difficult to prove, without witnesses, that a person had shot a tiger

without just cause. And, as with other Perhilitan divisions, enforcement

officers are not sufficiently trained to gather evidence to convict. To date, no

one has been charged with killing a tiger.

 

At the trafficking stage, Abdul Jalal said that even though the division had

been successful in bringing many cases to court, often the penalties were so low

that they were neither a punishment nor a deterrent.

 

" The average fine for possession of tiger parts can be as low as RM300, and this

is also given to third-time offenders! " Abdul Jalal said in frustration.

 

He felt that there was little sense in having efficient enforcement if, at the

court level, judges were themselves not conservation aware, and therefore did

not give severe penalties.

 

Penalties often came with an either-or: a fine or a jail sentence - but rarely

are the two awarded together. What is generally felt among Perhilitan officers

is that there is a need to amend the Act to plug up loopholes, strictly enforce

hunting licences, and even, as Pahang director Zainuddin Shukur suggested, to

revoke the Orang Asli's right to hunt protected species.

 

" These days, very few Orang Asli depend on hunting as the sole means of

survival. They are landowners of many thousands of acres! " Zainuddin said.

 

In 1952, A. Locke, a British administrator in south Terengganu, wrote the book

The Tigers of Trengganu - an observation of tigers during the three years that

he hunted rogue tigers as part of his administrative duties.

 

Though not even a wildlife expert, his book has, in the last 50 years, become

the definitive study on tigers in Malaysia. Indeed, whichever Perhilitan office

the NST Special Reports team went to, the book always got good recommendation.

 

What is curious though is that since that time, no effort has been made to match

Locke's effort at a study of tigers. Considering we have far more people and

resources and wealth than Locke, it seems impossible that we cannot match, if

not better, his study.

 

If we are as committed to the conservation of the tiger as all our public

anti-Nik Aziz statement breast-beating seems to indicate, and unless we want an

extinct creature on our Federal crest, we would do something to resolve the

human-tiger conflict - and do it now.

 

As we celebrate 45 years of independence, perhaps we should move beyond thoughts

of our own liberty and ensure that tigers can live free, too.