FWD: Panther and cubs seen in thick undergrowth ‘home’

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This article is from thestar.com.my

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http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2002/7/23/nation/tpiman & sec=nation

 

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Tuesday, July 23, 2002

Panther and cubs seen in thick undergrowth & #8216;home & #8217;

 

 

TAIPING: The panther and her two cubs sighted by residents of Jalan Tembusu,

Assam Kumbang, here, have made a home for themselves in thick undergrowth in the

area.

 

Confirming the presence of the animals, Wildlife Department director Jasmi

Abdul said rangers of his department who went to investigate had seen the

animals on three occasions in the past two weeks.

 

“They have made a small area covered by thick undergrowth as their home and we

have set up traps in the vicinity as we want to catch them alive,” he said.

 

However, he said that residents did not have to fear for their safety as the

animals had never attacked humans.

 

“From records, no human being has ever been attacked by a black panther in our

country in the past 50 years,” he said in an interview yesterday.

 

“They are not man-eaters, unless one decides to enter a cage in which a panther

is kept,” he said.

 

However, he reminded the public to be on the alert as the panther was

protecting two cubs.

 

Jasmi said the department had formed a special team headed by Wildlife

Department assistant director Osman Saadon to install cameras to detect the

animals and to comb the area. If the traps did not work, he said his men would

cordon off the area and move in with nets to catch the animals.

 

He advised residents not to harm the animals as they were fully protected under

the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 and anyone caught killing them was liable to a

fine of up to RM5,000 or jail of up to five years.

 

On where the animals could have originated from, Jasmi said the female panther

could have made its way from Bukit Larut before giving birth to the cubs in

undergrowth here.

 

Black panthers, he said, preyed on frogs, lizards, and small and big mammals.

 

Residents had complained that 11 chickens, a dog and a wild boar frequently

seen in the area had disappeared.

 

A civil servant, staying at government quarters in Jalan Padang near Jalan

Tembusu, said he was not surprised with the sightings.

 

“We have previously seen pythons, wild boars and clouded leopards,” he said,

adding that the unkempt surroundings and partly-demolished government quarters

covered by thick bushes in the area could be blamed for the presence of the

animals.

 

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