Malayan tiger on ‘brink of extinction’ as spate of deaths sparks alarm

Population of feline subspecies has dwindled from around 3,000 in 1950s to fewer than 150 today

A recent spate of deaths has heightened fears for the Malayan tiger, with experts warning the feline is “on the brink of extinction”.

The population of the tiger subspecies found on the Malaysian peninsula has been decreasing due to poaching and deforestation, leaving it “critically endangered”.

Most recently, an adult male tiger, estimated to be around four years old, was found dead in a storm drain off a highway in Perak region. It had been hit by a car.

A month earlier, another adult male was found dead by an expressway in Pahang, believed to have been struck by a vehicle while trying to cross the road.

They were the third and fourth Malayan tigers killed by vehicle collisions between November 2023 and May 2024.

In late June, photos and videos of a dead tiger went viral on social media, provoking strong reactions from the public. The carcass, bloated and floating in a stream in Kelantan, showed no visible signs of injury from snares or gunshots. A postmortem examination was done by forestry officials to determine the cause of death but its outcome is not yet known.

These deaths highlight the many threats facing the species, experts said.

“The plight of Malayan tigers is a national crisis that requires the full attention and commitment of all Malaysians,” Henry Chan, director of conservation at the World Wildlife Fund Malaysia, told CNN.

The Malayan tiger is a symbol of national heritage. But despite government policies and plans for protection, the feline’s population has plummeted from around 3,000 in the 1950s to fewer than 150 today, according to the World Wide Fund for Nature.

The Malayan tiger was recognised as a subspecies in 2004. It is smaller than Indonesia’s Sumatran tiger and South Asia’s Bengal tiger. An excellent swimmer and powerful apex predator, it is distinguished by a slightly darker, reddish-orange coat.

Like all tigers, it needs large swathes of forestland to roam, making habitat preservation crucial for survival.

But the subspecies “suffer from habitat loss, prey depletion and retaliatory killings stemming from human-tiger conflicts,” Mark Rayan Darmaraj, country director of Wildlife Conservation Society Malaysia, told CNN.

Mr Darmaraj noted arrests of suspected poachers in Pahang region “in possession of the skull and bones of a tiger.”

Malaysia released a National Tiger Conservation Action Plan in 2020 in collaboration with nonprofit groups. The eight-year plan outlines priorities such as deploying conservation tools to aid conservation.

“By implementing a suite of concerted actions, backed by political commitment and public support, we as a nation and as part of the global conservation community can ensure that one of the most majestic and charismatic animals with which we share the planet will not vanish,” it stated.