The Malayan Tiger (Panthera tigris jacksoni)Now, this tiger, believe it or not, had no identity until 2004! Talk about identity crisis...In fact, it was labelled as the Indochinese tiger until DNA testing showed it a separate subspecies. It was then named Panthera tigris jacksoni in honor of the famous tiger conservationist, Peter Jackson.
The Malayan and Indochinese tigers resemble one another except the Malayan is smaller in size. The male tiger weighs about 120 kgs while the female weighs about 100 and grows to an average length of between 6-7ft.
The Malayan tigers number around 500 and are found in the southern part of the Malay Peninsula and Thailand. The Malayan tiger feeds on deer and livestock. Hence, the biggest threat to their existence is human-tiger conflict as they are killed by farmers using live wire snares. Other threats are habitat loss and fragmentation, agricultural logging and other human developments. It is classified as Endangered in the IUCN Red List.
Efforts to increase their numbers in Malaysia has led to setting up of a breeding facility where they have been successfully bred and the cubs sent out to zoos around the world. This is a great achievement in steps to help increase this tiger population. However, one concern is that the wild tigers reside in unprotected areas. Effective mapping of these areas and tightening laws on illegal killing should be considered by governments around the world. This way, we can help restore this species and help it roam freely, once again.
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