tiger cub rescued from restaurant in malaysia

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http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2005/8/12/nation/11739680 & sec=nation

 

Nation <http://thestar.com.my/news/nation>

Friday August 12, 2005

 

Good samaritan buys tiger cub from restaurant

 

*BY CHIN MUI YOON*

 

*SHAH ALAM:* A tiger cub was saved from ending up on the dinner table

when a Good Samaritan who heard about it being sold to a restaurant

bought the cat.

 

Malaysian trade commissioner to Papua New Guinea Datuk Dr S.H. Foo heard

from friends on Monday that a little tiger caught by villagers in

Rompin, Pahang, was sold to a Chinese restaurant in Kuala Lumpur.

 

Worried that the cub was destined for the cooking pot, Foo, through a

contact, offered to buy the tiger from the restaurant.

 

Foo did not reveal how much he paid for the cub but the amount is

believed to be more than RM10,000.

 

The male cub, estimated to be three months old, was sent to Foo's house

in Glenmarie here on Tuesday.

 

IN SAFE HANDS: Foo's children (from left) Suan Hui, three, Suan Mei, 20,

and Suan Keong, 17, stroking the tiger cub while Suan Son, three, looks

on at their home in Shah Alam yesterday.

 

The cub appears unharmed but is skinny and clearly stressed.

 

However, it allowed itself to be stroked by Foo's children and also ate

chunks of fresh deer meat.

 

" I was shocked that such a magnificent animal like the tiger could end

up as nothing more than a meal, " said Foo.

 

" At the very least, the animal should be given a chance to live and grow

up in a wildlife centre or zoo especially since it is also an endangered

animal.

 

" It's an endangered species and I hope more people will see the value of

this beautiful wild animal and contribute to its survival instead of

gobbling it up. "

 

Foo said he contacted the Wildlife Department in Cheras, Kuala Lumpur,

on Tuesday to come get the tiger but was told to go to its office and

fill up forms instead.

 

Foo then sought help from Chinese daily /Nanyang Siang Pau/ and a

journalist helped him to send the cub to the department on Wednesday.

 

The Wildlife Department's Law and Enforcement Department director,

Misliah Mohd Basir, said the cub was weak, dehydrated and had parasites

but was otherwise fine.

 

She said the cub would be nursed back to health and sent to the Wildlife

Department's animal rescue centre in Malacca.