Malaysian Wildlife Department captures tiger linked to fatal attacks in Kelantan amid concerns of habitat loss

MALAYSIA: On 13 November, the Malaysian Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan) successfully captured a tiger in Pos Pasik, Kelantan, believed to be responsible for fatal attacks on three individuals, including foreign workers, in October and November.

According to a report by Bernama, Mohamad Hafid Rohani, the director of Kelantan Perhilitan, stated that the captured wild animal is in good health and will be transferred to the National Wildlife Rescue Centre in Sungkai, Perak.

The operation to capture the tiger was initiated after a man in Pos Pasik was fatally mauled on 5 October.

Mohamad Hafid explained that, in response to the incident, on 6 October, Kelantan Perhilitan conducted preliminary investigations, monitored the area, and established a tiger trap unit at the reported location.

The operation involved 10 Perhilitan personnel.

An ongoing investigation aims to determine whether the captured tiger is the same one responsible for the earlier attacks.

Videos of the captured tiger have been circulating on social media, and online users are expressing relief at the successful capture.

Nevertheless, a sense of sadness prevails as people acknowledge the ongoing loss of wildlife habitat due to increasing encroachment into forests.

Three tiger attacks in October and November

The spate of tiger attacks, which commenced in early October, has instilled fear and drawn attention not only from residents in the vicinity of the attacks but also from the entire nation of Malaysia.

The series of incidents unfolded on 5 October when a 25-year-old Orang Asli man in Pos Pasik was discovered mauled to death by a tiger, missing his left thigh, leg, and parts of his face.

The victim, who had gone out for blowpiping on October 3, went missing after he failed to return home following a visit to a nearby village on Tuesday morning.

Gua Musang police Chief Superintendent Sik Choon Foo revealed that the victim’s body was located in a rubber estate within Pos Pasik, approximately 300 meters from the site of the initial tiger attack.

The victim’s motorcycle was also found, as reported by New Straits Times.

Tragically, on 10 November, another tiger attack occurred, resulting in the death of an Indonesian man in Kampung Meranto.

This marked the second incident in the Gua Musang district.

Sik Choon Foo explained that the victim’s friend discovered the body when he initiated a search in the forest reserve after realizing the man had not returned home the previous day.

“They first discovered several body parts about 300m from where they found the legs, then informed the police,” Sik Choon Foo recounted.

Just two days later, on 12 November, another tiger attack unfolded in the same village, involving a 22-year-old Myanmar man.

While tapping rubber with his wife around 1.30 pm, the man sustained injuries and bleeding at the back of his neck.

Sik Choon Foo reported that the victim was taken to the hospital by four Myanmar nationals, believed to be his wife and friends, after seeking assistance from an individual at the log inspection site.

“The hospital confirmed the victim’s death following emergency treatment.

“The autopsy results indicated that the cause of death was severe head injuries due to a tiger attack,” he said in a statement.

Caution persists among Temiar Orang Asli despite tiger capture

Around 1,000 Temiar Orang Asli in Pos Pasik are still cautious about venturing out to work in the forest and gather forest products, despite the capture of a tiger by PERHILITAN, as reported by Berita Harian.

Although they are relieved that the tiger, believed to have attacked an Orang Asli man in early October, has been captured, they remain vigilant following the recent wild tiger attacks in Kampung Meranto on 10 and 12 November.

Mohd Sani Nahtiman, the chairman of the Orang Asli Village Development and Safety Committee (JPKKOA), stated that despite the successful capture of the wild animal, the residents are still living in a state of caution.