A recent spate of alarming deaths has heightened fears for the Malayan tiger, wildlife authorities and conservationists say, with some calling the threat to Malaysia’s emblematic animal a “national emergency.” Native to the jungles of peninsular Malaysia, the majestic feline subspecies is critically endangered, with fewer than 150 believed to be left in the wild due to habitat loss, illegal poaching and a decline in prey. Found on Malaysia’s coat of arms and considered a national heritage symbol, its numbers have plummeted since the 1950s, when around 3,000 roamed the Southeast Asian country, officials say. Against that already grim backdrop, photos and videos of a dead Malayan tiger went viral on social media in late June. The carcass, found bloated and floating in a stream in the rural northern state of Kelantan, was discovered by forest rangers. There was no sign of injury from snares or gunshots, and state forestry officials are conducting a post-mortem examination. The images provoked strong reactions from many in Malaysia, who noted the urgency of saving their national symbol from extinction. “The plight of Malayan tigers is a national crisis that requires the full attention and commitment of all Malaysians,” said Henry Chan, director of conservation at the World Wildlife Fund Malaysia (WWF). Stronger conservation efforts are needed, he added, such as enhancing patrols in critical tiger habitats and leveraging advanced technology such as camera traps and drones for monitoring and surveillance. “These magnificent creatures continue to teeter on the brink of extinction,” Chan said. “Losing just one tiger brings the entire species closer to extinction, making every individual tiger’s life extremely critical to the survival of the species.” “The Malayan tiger is on the brink of extinction with fewer than 150 remaining in the wild,” said Mark Rayan Darmaraj, country director of Wildlife Conservation Society Malaysia, who noted that suspected poachers were arrested in a separate case in the nearby state of Pahang, “in possession of the skull and bones of a tiger.” “They suffer from habitat loss, prey depletion and retaliatory killings stemming from human-tiger conflicts,” he said. “Additionally, the construction of roads through their habitats increases the risk of fatal vehicle collisions as seen in several recent incidents.” On July 6, authorities in the western state of Perak were alerted to a dead tiger found in a storm drain off a major highway. Estimated to have been around 4 years old, the adult male had been hit by a car, officials said. A month earlier, the body of another adult tiger was found by an expressway in Pahang state. Officials believe the tiger, believed to have been 5 years old, was run over by a vehicle while trying to cross the road from a nearby forest reserve. It was the fourth Malayan tiger killed by a vehicle collision between November 2023 and May 2024, according to authorities. The Malayan tiger was recognized as a subspecies in 2004. Like all tigers, they are excellent swimmers and powerful apex predators. Smaller than Indonesia’s Sumatran tigers and the Bengal tigers found across South Asia, Malayan tigers can grow to about 2.5 meters long and weigh up to 130 kilograms, experts say, and need large swaths of forest to roam. Their slightly darker, reddish-orange coats also distinguish them from other tiger species. In an eight-year National Tiger Conservation Action Plan released in collaboration with non-profit groups in 2020, Malaysian officials outlined priorities such as conservation tools and a national plan to aid conservation efforts. “By implementing a suite of concerted actions, backed by political commitment and public support, we as a nation and as part of the global conservation community can ensure that one of the most majestic and charismatic animals with which we share the planet will not vanish,” the action plan said. (SD-Agencies) 野生動物管理機構(gòu)和保護主義者說，最近發(fā)生的一系列令人震驚的馬來亞虎死亡事件加劇了人們的擔憂，一些人稱馬來西亞標志性動物面臨的威脅是“全國危機”。 馬來亞虎原產(chǎn)于馬來西亞半島的叢林中，由于棲息地喪失、非法偷獵和食物減少，這一威嚴的貓科動物亞種已極度瀕危，據(jù)信野外僅存不到150只。馬來西亞的國徽上就有這種貓科動物，一直以來它們被視為國家的象征。 在此嚴峻的情況下，6月底，一具馬來亞虎尸體的照片和視頻在社交媒體上瘋傳。護林員在北部吉蘭丹州鄉(xiāng)村的一條溪流中發(fā)現(xiàn)了這具臃腫的浮尸，外表看不出有落入陷阱受傷或槍傷的痕跡。州林業(yè)官員正在對死虎進行尸檢。 圖片引起了很多馬來西亞人的強烈反響，他們呼吁拯救馬來亞虎免于滅絕已迫在眉睫。 世界自然基金會馬來西亞分會（WWF）保護部主任亨利?陳說：“馬來亞虎的困境是一場國家危機，需要所有人的關(guān)注和投入。” 他補充說，需要加大保護力度，例如加強對老虎重點棲息地的巡邏，利用攝像頭和無人機等先進技術(shù)進行監(jiān)測和監(jiān)視。 陳說：“這些壯美的動物還在瀕臨滅絕的邊緣徘徊。每失去一只虎就讓種群離滅絕更近一點，因此每只虎的生命對于物種的生存都至關(guān)重要。” 馬來西亞野生動物保護協(xié)會主任馬克?拉揚?達馬拉吉說：“馬來亞虎瀕臨滅絕，野外僅存不到150只。”他指出，在附近彭亨州的另一起案件中，抓到了幾個偷獵嫌疑人，搜出了“老虎頭骨和其他部位的骨頭”。 他說：“棲息地減少、獵物枯竭以及人虎沖突引發(fā)的報復性殺戮讓老虎飽受折磨。” “此外，從最近發(fā)生的幾起事件來看，穿過棲息地的公路增加了老虎遭遇致命車禍的風險。” 7月6日，西部霹靂州當局接到報警，稱在一條主要公路旁的排水溝中發(fā)現(xiàn)了一只老虎尸體。官方消息稱這只成年雄虎4歲左右，是被汽車撞死的。 一個月前，在彭亨州的一條高速公路旁發(fā)現(xiàn)了另一只成年老虎的尸體。官員們認為它約5歲，試圖從附近的森林保護區(qū)穿過公路時不幸被車壓死。 據(jù)當局稱，這是2023年11月至2024年5月間死于車禍的第四只馬來亞虎。 馬來亞虎2004年被認定為一個亞種，與所有其它老虎一樣是游泳健將和食物鏈頂端的掠食者。 專家說，馬來亞虎比印度尼西亞的蘇門答臘虎和南亞的孟加拉虎體型更小，成年后約2.5米長，重達130公斤，需要棲息在大片森林中。和其它虎種相比，它們的皮毛呈橘紅色，顏色稍深。 在2020年與非營利組織合作發(fā)布的為期八年的《國家老虎保護行動計劃》中，馬來西亞官員概述了優(yōu)先級的保護措施和國家計劃。 該行動計劃稱：“通過實施一系列共同行動，在政府和公眾的支持下，作為一個國家和全球保護社區(qū)的一部分，我們可以確保與我們共同生活在這個星球上最雄偉、最具魅力的動物之一不會滅絕。” (Translated by Debra) Words to Learn 相關(guān)詞匯 【象征的】xiàngzhēng de emblematic symbolic, representative 【紋章】 wénzhāng coat of arms a symbol used to identify a noble person, a family or a nation | 