By S.M. Lee

In June 2009, while walking to the start of a forest trail, I came across a tiger chained up in a clearing next to the forest fringe. Since then, I have learned that this tiger had been brought into Langkawi for a tiger show at the Oriental Village. The owner of this tiger has all the necessary documents and permits to keep this tiger. In other words, everything is “legal”. This was confirmed by Perhilitan / Wildlife Department who also informed that the tiger is well-cared for by its owner.

Early this year, I learned that the tiger show had been planned for the Chinese New Year festivities to usher in the Year of the Tiger at the Oriental Village. After that, it will continue to remain at the Oriental Village as a showpiece. A tiger held within a caged enclosure for spectators to view.

To many cultures in this world, more particularly in Asia, the tiger is a symbol of strength and power, ferocity and bravery, passion and sensuality, even beauty and dexterity.

In Malaysia, there are now barely 500 tigers left in the wild. And in many places throughout the country, tigers continue to be poached upon and killed in conflicts when they venture into villages or come into contact with humans. The trading of tiger parts in the black market also propels it towards extinction in the wild. The Malayan Tiger is listed as a critically endangered species in the UICN’s Red List of threatened species. And if we do not actively work to protect them, this tiger species would soon become extinct.

Can we blame the tigers for venturing into human settlements to look for food? It is us humans who have encroached into their territories. We have been cutting down forests for housing, for farming and plantations for the sake of the country’s economy. Vast areas of forests have been dwindling over the decades while human population have been increasing, thereby augmenting our needs for more land, more housing and more food. With deforestation, we do not only lose the green lungs of the earth, we are also destroying the habitat of many wildlife, including the tiger, limiting the tiger’s hunting ground and reducing its food sources in the wild.

Meantime, we have also built more advanced weapons to trap and shoot the tiger. Has the tiger changed in its form in the last century? It hasn’t. It is still armed with just its strong jaws with sharp teeth, claws on all four paws, an ability to move unseen and with stealth in the forests and the strength and instinct for survival. No wonder the tiger is losing its battles with the human species.

As for the tiger show at the Oriental Village in Langkawi, is it really necessary? It may be the first and only tiger in this place since the animal is not native to this island archipelago. The truth is that it is cruel to keep a lone tiger in captivity, exclusively and solitary.

Also, cashing in on the tiger show by keeping a lone tiger in an enclosed area with one glass wall for exhibit is a very skewed notion of tiger conservation.

Is there a necessity for a mini-zoo in Langkawi? Wouldn’t it be better for all if the Perhilitan / Wildlife Department limit the issuance of permits for these animals to the main zoos on mainland Malaysia, ensure the proper management and maintenance of these zoos and upgrade the facilities at these places to attract more visitors there? If a tourist, whether local or foreigner, can get to see one Malayan Tiger at the Oriental Village, not to mention one Asian Elephant as well, there will no longer be a need to visit the National Zoo. After all, the visitor to Langkawi would have seen both the “King of All Beasts” and the largest land animal in this country. Why allow these mini-zoos to be built at every tourist destination instead of capitalizing on visitor numbers to one or two good zoos with commendable standards in this country?