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Animal Adventures Malaysia >> Tiger! Tiger! Gallery & Exhibit >> About Tigers
ABOUT TIGERS
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At the turn of the 20th century, there were more than 100,000 wild tigers around the world; at the turn of the 21st century, however, fewer than 5,000 survived. This represents an alarming loss of more than 97% of the global wild tiger population!
Countdown to Extinction
In Malaysia, the Malayan Tiger has fared no better.
In the 1950s/1960s, more than 3,000 tigers roamed the Malaysian forests, today there are fewer than 500 wild Malayan Tigers in the Peninsula.
While the loss of habitat has been a primary contributory factor to the loss of wild tigers, the opening up of the northern forests for highways has allowed poachers greater access to previously inpenetrable forests.
Enforcement-wise, regulatory bodies do not have enough officers to police these areas effectively.
The Malayan Tiger
Following a study on the DNA of 130 captive tigers and preseved tiger pelts in Malaysia and around the world by the Laboratory of Genomic Diversity in 2003-04, researchers found sufficient evidence to distinguish the tigers found in Malaysia from its cousins of Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and Myanmar. It was determined that there sufficient diverse from the Indo-Chinese Tiger (Panthera tigris corbetti).
Thus, in 2005, the Malayan Tiger was declared a separate subspecies, making it the ninth known sub-species in the world. Numbering around 500, the second smallest tiger sub-species also became the second most populous sub-speceis after the Bengal Tiger (P.t. tigris).
A small controversy followed the scientific naming of the Malayan Tiger. Malaysian zoological representatives, led by then Chaiman Tuan Haji Nawayai Yasak, and the Government of Malaysia put forth that the Malayan Tiger's scientific name reflect the geographical range of the species. Hence, in Malaysia and amongst some, the Malayan Tiger is referred to scientifically as Panthera tigris malayensis.
The Malayan Tiger is only found on Peninsula Malaysia. It is not found in East Malaysia nor on any of its resort islands.
For more information on the Malayan Tiger, click here.
Tigers 101
Tigers Are Solitary Animals. Unlike lions, tigers do not live in prides and live most of their lives in solitude. Males and females make short unions during mating seasons before living separate lives again. Only when raising their cubs do females live in the companionship of their cubs (until about 18 months before the cubs head off to fend for themselves).
For more on the tiger, click here.
Updated February 2, 2011
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