Braven Sebastian Lianto

Bu Kusuma Hutabarat
Science 8
15 March, 2016
TASK 2: Animal Survivor Report
Belum-Temenggor, a beautiful and vast place filled with stunning floras and fauna.
Covering 300.000 Hectares of the Malaysian Peninsula, the Belum-Temengor rainforest forms
the last and largest remaining continuous block of natural forest in Malaysia. The climate in
Belum-Temenggor changes depending on the time of year. It usually ranges from 20C to
35C, 20C to 35C. In the forest, inhibits a vast variety of floras and faunas. 14 of the most
endangered mammals are currently roaming free in its natural habitat, including the Malayan
tiger, the Asiatic elephant, the Sumatran rhinoceros, and many more. There are also over 300
species of birds, including hornbills and other birds. The forest is only place where you can
find all 10 species of the hornbill. As with all of Malaysia's rainforest, government
sanctioned deforestation for logging and agriculture is one of the main contributors to
environmental decline in Belum-Temenggor. The Malay peninsula has lost over half of its
natural forest cover since 1950.
There are tons of species that live in Belum-Temenggor, but there is one particular
species that peaked my interest, the Malayan tiger. The Malayan tiger is the smallest tiger in
its group, alongside the Sumatran tiger. Weighing about 80kg - 150kg (176lbs - 330lbs) and
growing over 6.6 to 7.5 ft, its low body mass makes the Malayan tiger an agile and quick
predator to its prey. It feeds on wild boars, deers, rhino calves, sun bears, and many more. Its
top speed had been recorded as 35-40mph which is around 60km/h. The Malayan tiger also
has a long-life span, usually 18-25 years is their max.
The Malayan Tiger had been declared critically endangered by the IUCN
(International Union for Conservation of Nature), in 2015. Back in the 1950s, there had been
a total of over 3000 species of Malayan tigers. Now, with only a rough estimate of 250 to 340
adult individuals in 2013; this population likely comprises less than 250 mature breeding
individuals, with a declining trend. There are numerous of reasons why the Malayan tiger is
slowly fading away, and it all comes down to one thing, humans. Poaching, deforestation,
killing for sport, all of these things are all are done by man. It is now completely protected
under Malaysias Wildlife Conservation Act 2010, meaning that offenders towards this
animals can be fined up to RM 500,000 and will be arrested and jailed.
The Malayan tiget has an orange, black and white striped pattern, allowing them to
blend and hide well in tall grasses. This special feature is called camouflage, and it is used to
stalk its prey and will strike at the perfect moment. The Malayan tiger also has 10 razor sharp
claws, 5 on each paw, and they keep it sharp because they can retract the claws into their
paws. The Malayan tigers large canine teeth and powerful jaws allow it to grab prey by the

neck and suffocate it. The tongue is rough as sandpaper, and it is beneficial to clean the
remaining meat off the bones of a recent kill.
The Malayan tiger is very important in order to maintain biodiversity. It is also a very
important assest towards humans actually. There are a total of 9 tiger subspecies, and 3 of
them had gone extinct. The Malayan is slowly dying, with only around 350 species left and
with a declining trend will make it even harder. There are only around 3000-3200 tigers left
in this world, and that is a jaw-dropping number because that is so little compared to what it
used to be in the past. The reason why the Malayan tiger is an important assest to humans
there is because they decrease the number of wild boars, which can become a serious pest in
plantations and other croplands.
I think that the Malayan tiger will be extinct in the next 10 years. With poachers and
companies growing in numbers, the Malayan tiger population wont stand a chance at this
rate. Poachers basicallly negate all laws that have been put for them because they simply do
not care. The population of the Malayan tiger has dropped by around 88.67 % in the last 50
years. So I dont think that they will be able to save this species, because there is no way that
poachers or wood companies would stop their business for an animal. So that is my estimate,
that in the next 10 years, the Malayan tiger will be extinct.

References:
"Perak: Belum-Temengor." - TripAdvisor. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Mar. 2016.
"Tiger." Tiger. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Mar. 2016.
"Sedgwick County Zoo[Animals & Exhibits - Animals]." Sedgwick County Zoo[Animals & Exhibits Animals]. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Mar. 2016.