FWD: Wiping out tigers not the solution, says expert

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Saturday, August 17, 2002

Wiping out tigers not the solution, says expert

By MENG YEW CHOONG

 

KOTA BARU: The killing of tigers in Jeli and Tanah Merah districts will not

solve the problem of tigers attacking humans, said a scientist researching tiger

conservation.

 

Mohd Azlan Jayaseelan Abdul Gulam Azad, who works for World Wide Fund for

Nature Malaysia (WWFM), said tigers, being territorial animals, would move into

“vacuums” created by the demise of other tigers.

 

“If a tiger is removed from the wild, it will create a & #8216;vacancy & #8217;

for tigers from other neighbourhoods.

 

“Killing them will not solve the problem. In fact, we will have more innocent

tigers being killed in future, & #8217; & #8217; said Azlan in comments on the

Kelantan government & #8217;s move to kill tigers on sight following several

attacks by tigers on residents recently.

 

Azlan, who has years of experience in tiger-human conflict situations in

Terengganu, said it was important to determine when the killings should stop.

 

This was illustrated by the fact that a “wrong” tigress was shot in Kelantan a

few weeks ago, he said.

 

“In the Jeli case, the Department of Wildlife and National Parks had set up six

traps to catch the animal alive but was unsuccessful.

 

“Apparently, local folk became impatient and pressured the department to solve

the problem immediately. & #8217; & #8217;

 

Azlan said that Malaysian tigers were often “forced” to become man-eaters by

circumstances beyond their control such as massive land clearing and hunting by

humans.

 

“Tigers normally avoid humans. Most of the tiger attacks occurred in

plantations surrounded by forests.

 

“Active logging also displaces tigers and they end up wandering out of their

natural habitats.

 

“Hunting reduces prey availability and frightens the tigers. Such tigers will

eventually become & #8216;problem tigers & #8217;, which then qualifies them to be

culled from the wild. & #8217; & #8217;

 

Azlan said the attitude of some estate owners was the reason for tiger attacks,

as undergrowth and bushes in their estates were left uncut and tall enough for

tigers to lurk without being detected.

 

He said that providing healthy forest reserves for tigers to breed was a viable

way of ensuring their long-term survival and minimising tiger-human conflicts.

 

“Wiping out the tiger population in Jeli is definitely not the solution.

 

“In fact, shooting tigers, if not properly done, will wound them and impair

their ability to hunt.

 

“But why is the state looking for a short-term solution? The demand for land

(for development) will definitely increase. If we do not plan now, it will be

difficult to implement a long-term conservation plan for tigers, & #8217; & #8217;

he added.

 

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