(KL) Malaysia urged to beef up war against Tiger poaching

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Malaysia urged to beef up war against tiger poaching

AFP 21 July 2009, 07:34pm IST

 

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's dwindling tiger population could be wiped out in less

than a decade unless authorities quickly halt the illegal trade in tiger parts

and poaching, a wildlife expert warned.

 

Wildlife activists last week said that Malaysia, estimated to have just 500

tigers still living in the wild, was losing its battle to save the endangered

big cats after a series of raids that netted tiger carcasses and bones.

 

" The two major threats we see here are poaching and illegal trade of tigers, and

also the loss of habitats, " Washington-based Save the Tiger Fund director

Mahendra Shrestha told AFP after a conference here on tiger conservation.

 

" The poaching level is becoming so high in many countries that if such things

continue here maybe we will lose the tigers in less than a decade, " he said.

 

" All you need to do is to increase the law enforcement, to reduce levels of

poaching threats .... because there is an increase in demand on tiger parts in

all the countries, " he added.

 

Douglas Uggah Embas, natural resources and environment minister, said the

government had sought the help of the military to battle poaching, adding that

Malaysia was committed to an ambitious plan to double the tiger population to

1,000 by 2020.

 

" We hope by working together with the military and the local community, the

enforcement will be more effective, " he told reporters.

 

" It is very challenging but it is not a hopeless war (to save tigers), " he

added.

 

Last week, the Malaysian Conservation Alliance for Tigers (MyCat) demanded that

local authorities take action to stop the illegal trade in tiger parts.

 

It listed a series of seizures of dismembered tigers in recent months, from the

Thai-Laos border right down to Malaysia itself, including three kilograms

(six-and-a-half pounds) of tiger bones found in northeastern Kelantan state last

month.

 

The coalition said that investigations into the seized tiger parts found that

some were from sub-species not found in the wild in Asia, including the Siberian

tiger.

 

It said the findings suggested that captive tigers, such as those found in zoos

and theme parks, were finding their way into the illegal wildlife trade where

they are butchered for traditional medicine.