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Rare Image Captured of One of the Last Tigers in Malaysia

9 November 2023, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia -  A high resolution camera trap photo of one of the last tigers in Malaysia has been captured by WWF and wildlife photographer Emmanuel Rondeau. In the 1950s, Malaysia was estimated to have as many as 3,000 tigers. However, habitat loss, decline of prey and poaching for the illegal trade of tigers, their parts and products, have caused the population to decline to fewer than 150 individuals as of 2022. This rare image of a tiger provides hope that the intensified conservation efforts of the Government of Malaysia, the Indigenous communities and organisations like WWF are making an impact.

Photographer, Emmanuel Rondeau, set up eight high definition camera traps for five months across one of the last strongholds for tigers in Malaysia, Belum-Temengor Forest Complex in the north of Peninsular Malaysia. The project was made possible with the support of the Indigenous community patrol teams and WWF-Malaysia to identify locations, field operations and undertake monthly battery pack changes. 

Emmanuel Rondeau, photographer, said: “The making of these images took months of preparation and field work. We knew it was going to be very difficult considering the low density of tigers in the region and the threats they are facing, but we also knew that the task was extremely important. These high definition images are a symbol of a new generation of hope.” 

Sophia Lim, Executive Director / CEO, WWF-Malaysia, said: “In Malaysia, the decline of our tigers reflects the complex challenges confronting these magnificent creatures throughout Southeast Asia. Capturing a photo of a Malayan tiger in its natural habitat is a rarity, yet each image serves as a source of hope and a poignant reminder of the ongoing efforts required to safeguard its existence."

One of the biggest threats to tigers in the country are snares which are used by poachers to catch not just tigers but other animals such as tiger prey to sell in the illegal wildlife trade. Indigenous anti-poaching patrol teams deployed in 2018 by WWF-Malaysia in partnership with Maybank which have grown from 3 to 22 teams have managed to reduce snares in the area by 98%. Since 2020, some of the teams have been absorbed under the Biodiversity Protection and Patrolling (BP3) programme, an initiative of the Malaysian Government through the Department of Wildlife and National Parks in efforts to curb illegal poaching. 

The determination of the Malaysian Government in dealing with the threats faced by tigers is evident through the introduction of initiatives such as the establishment of the National Tiger Conservation Task Force (MyTTF) and increased allocations for the community ranger programme.

Azib Bin Adeck, Indigenous community patrol member, says “There is hope for tigers here if we continue to do what we are doing right now.”

A recent spate of human-tiger encounters also raises grave concern for both human safety and the long-term survival of tigers in Malaysia. In a sad turn of events, on 9 November, a Malayan tiger was found dead by a highway barrier along the North-South Expressway (PLUS) in Gopeng, Perak, likely to have been struck by a heavy vehicle while crossing the highway. Lack of large prey in the forest is a primary factor driving tigers out to seek out alternative food sources, including domestic livestock, often bringing them into conflict with humans.

Urgent interventions are needed to safeguard human lives, strengthen the management of protected areas and enhance prey populations to give the tigers enough food to survive in the forests. This is crucial to reduce conflict and re-establish ecological balance to ensure the conservation of these magnificent creatures in their natural ecosystems.

 
Photo (c) Emmanuel Rondeau/ WWF-US
 

Gambar Menarik Harimau Malaya Berjaya Dirakam  


9 November 2023, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - Foto perangkap kamera beresolusi tinggi salah satu daripada harimau terakhir di Malaysia telah dirakam oleh WWF dan jurugambar hidupan liar Emmanuel Rondeau. Pada tahun 1950-an, Malaysia dianggarkan mempunyai sebanyak 3,000 ekor harimau. Walau bagaimanapun, kehilangan habitat, kekurangan makanan dan pemburuan haram untuk tujuan perdagangan telah menyebabkan bilangan populasinya menyusut sehingga dianggarkan kurang daripada 150 individu pada 2022. Imej harimau yang jarang ditemui ini memberikan harapan bahawa usaha pemuliharaan yang giatkan dilaksanakan oleh Kerajaan Malaysia, Jabatan PERHILITAN, masyarakat Orang Asli dan agensi bukan kerajaan mula memberi kesan positif.

Jurugambar, Emmanuel Rondeau, memasang lapan perangkap kamera definisi tinggi selama lima bulan di  Kompleks Hutan Belum-Temengor, iaitu salah satu kawasan utama bagi pemuliharaan harimau di Semenanjung Malaysia. Projek itu dijayakan dengan sokongan pasukan peronda komuniti Orang Asli dan WWF-Malaysia untuk mengenal pasti lokasi, operasi di lapangan dan memeriksa kamera setiap bulan.
 
Emmanuel Rondeau, jurugambar, berkata: “Untuk mendapatkan  imej ini mengambil masa beberapa bulan persiapan dan kerja lapangan. Kami tahu ia sangat sukar memandangkan kepadatan harimau yang rendah di rantau ini dan ancaman yang mereka hadapi, tetapi kami juga tahu bahawa tugas itu amat penting. Imej definisi tinggi ini adalah simbol harapan generasi baharu.”

Sophia Lim, Pengarah Eksekutif / Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif, WWF-Malaysia, berkata: “Di Malaysia, penurunan populasi harimau kita mencerminkan cabaran kompleks yang dihadapi oleh spesies hebat ini di rantau Asia Tenggara. Merakam gambar harimau Malaya di habitat semula jadinya adalah sukar, namun setiap imej berfungsi sebagai sumber harapan dan peringatan tentang usaha berterusan yang diperlukan untuk melindungi kewujudannya."


Salah satu ancaman terbesar kepada harimau di negara ini ialah jerat yang dipasang oleh pemburu haram untuk menangkap bukan sahaja harimau, tetapi haiwan lain seperti mangsa harimau untuk dijual. Pasukan renjer komuniti orang asli yang diwujudkan oleh WWF-Malaysia dengan kerjasama Maybank, yang pada mulanya hanya mempunyai 3 pasukan pada 2018 dan kini berkembang sehingga 22 pasukan telah berjaya mengurangkan jerat di kawasan Belum-Temengor sehingga 98%. Bermula tahun 2020, sebahagian ahli pasukan renjer komuniti ini telah diserapkan di bawah program Biodiversiti Protection and Patrolling (BP3), satu inisiatif Kerajaan Malaysia melalui Jabatan PERHILITAN dalam usaha menangani masalah pemburuan haram di negara ini.

Kesungguhan Kerajaan Malaysia dalam menangani ancaman yang dihadapi oleh harimau di negara ini dapat dilihat menerusi inisiatif baharu yang diperkenalkan seperti penubuhan Pasukan Petugas Kebangsaan bagi Konservasi Harimau Malaya (National Tiger Conservation Task Force - MyTTF) dan menambah peruntukan bagi program renjer komuniti.  

Azib Bin Adeck, ahli peronda komuniti Orang Asli, berkata "Ada harapan untuk harimau di sini jika kami terus melakukan apa yang kami lakukan sekarang."

Konflik manusia-harimau yang semakin kerap dilaporkan baru-baru ini juga menimbulkan kebimbangan yang serius terhadap keselamatan manusia, haiwan ternakan dan kelangsungan jangka panjang harimau di Malaysia. Terbaru, semalam (9 November), kita dikejutkan dengan penemuan seekor harimau Malaya yang ditemui mati di tepi penghadang lebuh raya di sepanjang Lebuhraya Utara-Selatan (PLUS) di Gopeng, Perak, berkemungkinan telah dilanggar kenderaan berat ketika melintas lebuh raya itu. Kekurangan makanan di dalam hutan adalah faktor utama yang mendorong harimau mencari sumber makanan alternatif, seperti menyerang haiwan ternakan, seterusnya menimbulkan konflik dengan manusia.

Tindakan segera perlu diambil untuk melindungi keselamatan manusia, haiwan ternakan, mengukuhkan pengurusan kawasan perlindungan dan meningkatkan populasi mangsa untuk memberi harimau makanan yang cukup untuk terus hidup di hutan. Ini penting untuk mengurangkan konflik dan mewujudkan semula keseimbangan ekologi untuk memastikan pemuliharaan spesies ini dalam ekosistem semula jadi mereka.
 



 

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