MALAYSIA'S wildlife is being slowly hunted to extinction. Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), the local chapter of an international organisation headquartered in New York, named poaching as the main reason for the decline in the population of the tiger and its prey species.
Last month, the WCS estimated that Peninsular Malaysia needs at least 5,000 rangers to curb the surge in poaching.
If Sabah and Sarawak, two states that are heavily forested are included, the number of rangers needed would certainly be higher.
Based on its experience, the conservation body said that every 100 sq km required at least 10 rangers to monitor, detect and deter poachers. We just don't have enough, even with volunteers signing up.
In a survey conducted in 2020, there were fewer than 150 tigers roaming our jungles, a sharp decline from the 3,000 estimated seven decades ago.
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