BUKIT Bendera MP Syerleena Abdul Rashid joined the chorus calling for tougher legislation to prevent the butchering of the Malayan Tigers, which are classified as a protected species.
Referring to the recent arrest of three poachers for the suspected killing of a tiger, the DAP Wanita leader questioned the despicable greed that drives a person to shoot, kill, and stuff the carcass of a tiger into the boot of a car.
“Is this majestic, endangered creature no more than a commodity? This is no longer an isolated incident and is a stain on Malaysia’s soul,” she said.
She said the Malayan tiger is not just a symbol or a national treasure and with fewer than 150 remaining in the wild, it stands on the verge of extinction.
“We have laws—strict laws that classify tigers as totally protected species. Yet we see such vile acts, three men caught in Johor, apparently without a permit, transporting the carcass as though it were legal."
How many more tigers must die before the government stops offering loopholes to poaching networks, she asked.
She urged the Ministry of Natural Resources & Environment to immediately review and strengthen sentencing guidelines so wildlife crime becomes a real deterrent — not a minor slap on the wrist.
“There is also a need for increased funding, manpower and training for Perhilitan, customs and the police — including better intelligence, surveillance, and riverine/maritime patrols.
“We also need an urgent transparent public report on where tiger habitats are under greatest threat, how many poaching incidents annually, how many prosecutions and convictions, and what are the penalties actually served,”.
Syerleena said there must also be immediate action at the border - closing routes for illegal wildlife trade, stricter inspections, real cooperation with neighbouring countries to disrupt the trafficking networks.
"This is bigger than a tiger carcass in a car. It is about whether we still care enough and even have any respect left to protect what makes us uniquely Malaysian.
“If we lose the tiger, we do not just lose an animal — we lose a piece of our soul; our history," she said. - September 18, 2025.
