Tigers in trouble as Malaysian big cat numbers dwindle

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Kuala Lumpur (AFP) – Malaysian conservationists tracked a tigress named Bulan for two years as she raised four cubs. Then a fatal traffic accident made it yet another indicator of the country's dwindling population.

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Malaysia's national animal is in trouble.

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Official estimates suggest that poaching, food loss and habitat loss have reduced the population from 3,000 in the 1950s to fewer than 150 people moving freely today.

Last month, the government said it would step up efforts to combat wildlife crime by introducing artificial intelligence-enabled camera traps and contraband detection techniques at airports.

But experts and officials admit resources fall far short of protecting the country's critically endangered famous big cat.

Bulan (Moon in Malay) was killed on the East-West Highway, a roadway notorious for animal trafficking incidents.

“We were devastated when we lost her,” said Lara Ariffin, president of the Tiger Conservation Society of Malaysia (RIMAU).

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“Not only that, she was stabbed to death after she was run over,” Ariffin told AFP, showing graphic photos of the animal's carcass.

“They took her fangs, they took her claws. To me it was like desecrating the dead.”

The plight of the apex predator's population recently made local headlines again after a dead tiger was found in the back seat of a car in the southern state of Johor, sparking public outrage.

Three poachers were later sentenced to seven years in prison and fined $59,000, but experts say the business remains attractive.

– “Serious money” –

According to Malaysia's Department of Wildlife and National Parks, a single Malayan tiger carcass can fetch around $60,000 on the black market.

“The skin alone can cost around RM100,000 ($24,000) and a tiger's penis is valued at RM20,000 ($5,000),” department director-general Abdul Kadir Abu Hashim told the New Straits Times last month.

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According to Kadir, tiger bones cost about $1,186 per kilogram, while teeth, claws and even whiskers used in acupuncture cost about $118 apiece.

The department did not respond to AFP's request for comment.

Even animals fleeing poachers can be harmed by traps made from cheap plastic, rope or metal cable.

Camera traps have spotted animals with injuries or even missing limbs.

Research shows Malaysia is meeting demand for tiger parts in Vietnam and beyond in China, where cross-border poaching syndicates use drug, arms and human trafficking routes to move their goods.

In the first six months of 2025, 201 people were arrested for wildlife smuggling and $30.5 million worth of illegal assets were seized, Malaysia's top internal security and public order police officer told local media.

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“These numbers suggest that poaching is no longer a small-scale crime. It is organized, cross-border and backed by serious money,” Azmi Abu Qasim said.

– “There is no overnight success” –

The Malaysian government acknowledges that it has limited manpower, funding and equipment to deal with the problem, although efforts are being made to address the problem.

Joint operations between Malaysian police and wildlife services have led to hundreds of arrests and millions of dollars in seizures, officials said.

And community-based ranger programs run by non-governmental organizations such as RIMAU employ more than 1,000 local community members.

“Malaysia has made great progress in the fight against illegal poaching,” said Ariffin, who directed the documentary The Last Tigers of Malaysia.

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“We are moving in the right direction, but there is no guaranteed success overnight.”

The local chapter of the New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society estimates that at least 5,000 rangers are needed to properly patrol Malaysia's tiger habitats.

“The first line of defense is missing, meaning we don't have enough rangers on the front line to protect our wildlife from poachers,” WCS director Mark Ryan Dharmaraj told AFP.

“Poachers can still operate simply because they are outnumbered by law enforcement, and when they find themselves in the jungle, it's like looking for a needle in a haystack,” he said.

This view is shared by other conservation NGOs.

“The problem is not a lack of commitment, but a lack of capacity,” a WWF Malaysia spokesman told AFP.

“The next 10 years will decide whether we can bring back the roar of the Malayan tiger.”

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