Assalamualaikum and hi, everyone!

Do you know what animal is on Malaysia’s coat of arms?

Yes, there are two tigers here and today, I want to talk about MALAYAN
TIGER.

Malayan tigers are a subspecies of tigers. They are known to live in tropical
forests in Peninsula Malaysia and the south of Thailand.

A Malayan tiger has an orange-coloured body covered with black stripes.

White fur can be seen around the eyes, on the cheeks and belly. Black stripes
are thinner compared with the stripes of other tigers and they provide perfect
camouflage in the jungle.

Malayan tiger has a rough tongue, powerful jaws, large canine teeth, large
front paws equipped with sharp, retractable claws, a muscular body and a long
tail.

Malayan tigers belong to the class Mammalia. They are considered to be the
smallest subspecies of tigers among all the species and subspecies.

Malayan tigers, like all other tigers, are known for living alone for all of their
lives.

This species of tigers is known for breeding two to five cubs on average, and
only half of these will survive past two years old.

Like all big cats, these tigers are carnivores who eat deer, cattle, wild boar, and
sun bears. They also seem to consider elephants as food, as they go after the
young ones quite often, though they never really take big elephants on their
own.

As Malayan tigers are known to hunt at night, they are known to spend their
days either grooming themselves or sleeping.

They are great at swimming and may spend a large part of their day in a
shallow water body during the daytime heat.

A Malayan tiger can live up to almost 15 to 20 years if left alone healthy in its
natural habitat.

Unfortunately, Malayan tigers are a Critically Endangered species on the

conservation list by IUCN (The International Union for Conservation of
Nature).

The last counting shows their number to be as low as 150, among which only
80 to 120 breeding adults are left.

Illegal poaching for their body parts such as meats and bones for medicines, as
well as habitat loss, and the loss of food sources have pushed them to the very
edge of going extinct.

The Malayan tiger sits at the top of the food chain. Human’s greed and
carelessness are their only enemies. Losing them would critically harm our
ecosystem, food chain and resources.

The Malayan tigers need protection and support from us. We can ensure their
survival if we act now. We can join in the efforts to save the Malayan tiger by
donating, volunteering or just reading and spreading news and awareness
about the importance of tigers to our planet.