Perak Perhilitan: Malayan tigers will only be captured if they threaten public safety
IPOH, Oct 7 — The Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) will only capture or translocate Malayan tig...
Perak's Wildlife and National Parks Department, Perhilitan, will only capture or relocate Malayan tigers if an assessment discovers their presence poses a risk to public safety, according to Dr Pazil Abdul Patah, director of Perhilitan. The assessment considers factors such as the tiger's behavior, sighting frequency and duration, proximity to residential areas, movement patterns, and evidence of human or livestock interactions or attacks.
Dr Pazil stated that Perhilitan will take appropriate action based on field assessments if the assessment reveals a clear and persistent threat to human safety. In the past five months, from January to October of this year, there have been five recorded tiger sightings or incidents in Perak, including a roar in Proton City, Tanjung Malim in January, an image captured in Bukit Bangkong, Chemor in July, the capture of a tigress in Hulu Kinta in July, a fatal attack in Pos Perwor, Sungai Siput in September, and the discovery of tiger footprints in Ulu Kinta in September.
Dr Pazil clarified that tiger sightings close to human settlements do not necessarily imply habitat shrinkage, as movements can also be influenced by prey availability, habitat conditions, human disturbance, development, land use, and the animals' natural movements. He added that Perhilitan continuously monitors prey species like barking deer, deer, and wild boar in the state's main forest reserves using camera traps, field surveys, and population data to assess prey availability.
Complaints about tiger sightings are assessed based on location, time, physical evidence, and the current situation to determine priority and appropriate deployment of personnel, with control teams sent to the field when there is a risk to public safety. Besides physical measures like setting traps, Perhilitan also provides technical advice and safety guidance, advising residents in high-risk areas to avoid going out alone during early morning or late evening hours, refrain from provoking tigers, and leave the handling of such cases to the department.
Written by urgent.news from Malay Mail's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
