The Malayan Tiger, known for its magnificence and gallantry, has a similar characterization to the Indochinese Tiger; orange-colored fur and black stripes, with white fur on its eyes, cheeks, and bellies. However, the Malayan Tiger’s size and black stripes differ, as it is thinner compared to the other types of tigers. Originated from the peninsular of Malaysia and at the southern tip of Thailand, these species were originally from nine subspecies of tigers. With the current climate, three of the original nine species are extinct, and now the Malayan Tiger is on the verge of extinction.
An interesting fact about the Malayan Tiger is that their stripes are different from one another; just like human fingerprints, every person in the world possesses a unique set of fingerprints. Each tiger has its specific pattern of stripes on the fur. It helps them camouflage in the jungle, the perfect disguise for the jungle king.
The Malayan Tiger’s Habitat – Examples
The Malayan Tigers can be found roaming around in the tropical and subtropical forests in Southern Thailand and Peninsular Malaysia. It can adapt to the less dense forest with high moisture. The Malayan Tiger’s habitat is intrinsically linked. The Malayan Tigers live, breed, and hunt in the forest as apex predators. The ideal habitat for tigers is to be close to a water source, surrounded by trees and prey, allowing them to hunt without being noticed. They have a crucial role in maintaining the balance of the environment. Being the top predator they keep the population of wild ungulates in control, by maintaining the balance between herbivores and the vegetation upon which they feed on. Although the Malayan Tiger is elusive, it is critically endangered. The iconic big cat is being hunted to annihilation. When a single species becomes extinct, it affects the food chain and the entire ecosystem structure. For the tigers to survive, we need to ensure that the Malayan Tiger’s habitat has all the necessary environmental circumstances to live in, hunt for food, select a mate, and reproduce effectively.
The Malayan Tiger’s Habitat is at stake.
Deforestation in Pahang creates a problem between breeding populations and massive conversion of the Malayan Tiger’s habitat to another land which fragments the habitats into smaller patches of the forest. It is a significant concern given how few Malayan Tigers remain in the wild today as there are only 150 Malayan Tigers left in Malaysia. Consequently, mating and reproduction efforts become more difficult for the species. It does not help that rapid development has reduced the Malayan Tiger’s habitat at an astonishing rate. Forest is being logged illegally, and many plantations have sprung up in their place. Most of the ancient forests in Malaysia have been lost to make way for new developments such as palm oil and rubber plantation. Unsustainably cultivated palm oil plantations are rapidly replacing Pahang’s forests destroying its natural state of the forest. Seeing the Malayan Tigers face extinction for these plantations to thrive is heartbreaking.
How Do We Save the Malayan Tiger’s Habitat?
Saving the tigers means protecting and preserving the Malayan Tiger’s habitat. We must find a suitable solution to preserve the Malayan Tigers’ habitat to ensure the species’ survival. Any illegal activities resulting from forest degradation must be reported immediately through the proper channels or the higher authorities. Prolonging this will only deteriorate the survival of the tigers. To prevent habitat loss, The Pahang Wildlife Rangers work closely with the state government to establish wildlife reserves, and patrols are being strengthened on the ground to track and arrest poachers along with criminal logging syndicates. The objective is not only to end poaching but to end the enormous loss of land from unsustainable logging and plantations. Companies and businesses should adopt a more sustainable method or solution before destroying these natural lands for profit and start thinking about the wildlife before it’s too late.
We ought to educate ourselves on the importance of saving the Malayan Tigers before they are eradicated from Malaysia. The lack of knowledge contributes to the killing of these innocent tigers. By learning and understanding what the tigers need, you would be able to create awareness and share the information with your family and friends. We must ensure that we can take care of the Malayan Tiger’s habitat. Keeping the Malaysian forest intact will help protect the tigers and give them a chance to end their suffering. The Malayan tigers are our pride. We must not allow the endangered kings of the jungle to be dethroned.