Seventy years ago, an estimated 3,000 Malayan tigers roamed the forests of Peninsular Malaysia. Today it is estimated that 150 or fewer of these majestic top predators remain.

By Dr. Tara Harris, Phoenix Zoo Director of Conservation and Science and Coordinator, Tiger Conservation Campaign

It’s easy to lose hope in the face of such steep declines, but we’ve seen that tiger populations can recover from seemingly insurmountable odds if the right protections are in place.

Driving around Peninsular Malaysia, it’s easy to see the habitat loss that has contributed to this steep decline – with oil palm and rubber plantations dominating the landscape in many places. But good tiger habitat still exists on the peninsula, supporting breeding populations of Malayan tigers in three priority tiger landscapes. Protecting these areas from the poaching that threatens both tigers and their prey in these areas is vital for preventing the extinction of Malayan tigers and helping them recover.

The Tiger Conservation Campaign, a program of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Tiger Species Survival Plan, has been working with zoos across North America since 2012 to raise and provide much-needed support to projects in Malaysia that are protecting the last-remaining breeding populations of Malayan tigers. We’re excited and grateful to have the support of El Paso Zoo and want to share with you how you’re helping wild Malayan tigers.

I’m pleased to share that El Paso Zoo funds have been used to support the work of The Malayan Tiger Conservation Program, a partnership between Panthera Malaysia and Woodland Park Zoo working in the Kenyir-Taman Negara tiger landscape. Located south of Lake Kenyir, the 1,200 km² Kenyir-Taman Negara Core Area (around the size of Los Angeles) consists of forest reserves and part of Taman Negara National Park, the largest protected area in Peninsular Malaysia. This biodiverse area is home to 43 mammal species, including the Malayan tiger, the leopard, and the clouded leopard. In 2012, when the program was initiated, tigers were not reliably found in Taman Negara National Park. Today, there is a significant Malayan tiger population in the park and broader core area, with trail cameras providing evidence of reproduction and cubs surviving to adulthood. Last year, cameras confirmed the first litter born to a resident female tiger who was first detected as a cub herself in 2017 – an important sign that tigers are persisting in the region.

With a team of 15 patrollers, the Malayan Tiger Conservation Program protects the forest, searching for signs of poachers and dismantling the wire snares poachers set to entrap wildlife. Though snaring and other poaching signs essentially disappeared during the COVID pandemic because of travel restrictions, they have gradually resumed – with incursions into the forest by groups of foreign poachers. In response, the program developed Malaysia’s first and only tracking canine unit to track poachers and detect snares. Staff also works with local communities to assist with human-tiger conflict and improve livelihoods. Thank you, El Paso Zoo, for supporting this important work!