Malaysia is at risk of losing its Malayan tigers, with fewer than 150 believed to remain in the wild, according to conservation group RIMAU, which is urging the government to take urgent action to save the endangered species.
RIMAU chairperson Lara Ariffin said the figure was based on data from the 2016–2020 National Tiger Survey, highlighting the critical state of the country’s tiger population.
“We have already lost the Sumatran rhinoceros. The Malayan tiger is now at a critical tipping point, and if we do not act, the species could disappear. We cannot let that happen,” she told Bernama during the 2026 Global Tipping Points Conference in Kuala Lumpur.
Habitat loss and declining prey threaten Malayan tigers
Ariffin identified habitat loss and fragmentation as major challenges to tiger conservation, noting that forest cover across Peninsular Malaysia has fallen to just 43%. The African swine fever outbreak has also reduced wild boar populations, one of the Malayan tiger’s main food sources.
She warned that losing the Malayan tiger would have consequences beyond the species itself, disrupting forest ecosystems and potentially threatening clean water supplies and climate regulation that humans depend on.
Ariffin welcomed the government’s increased funding for frontline conservation efforts, including plans under the latest Budget to deploy 2,500 community rangers. However, she said ranger numbers in key forest areas, including Perak, still stand at only around 60% of what is needed.
She stressed that protecting the species requires cooperation between the government, non-governmental organisations, the public and private sector, adding that greater public awareness of the importance of forests is also needed.
Ariffin also urged plantation companies and private businesses to stop clearing new forest areas and restore ecological corridors to help reconnect fragmented habitats. Meanwhile, RIMAU has launched a 72-episode series called Laya Liar, available on YouTube and Facebook, to raise conservation awareness and encourage younger generations to take an interest in nature.
“Everyone has a part to play in ensuring that the story of the Malayan tiger does not become something we can only tell future generations by beginning with ‘once upon a time’,” she said.
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