Article: Rethink plan to build tiger park, Penang urged

By PRISCILLA DIELENBERG

GEORGE TOWN: The Penang government has been advised to reconsider its intention to build an ambitious tiger park in the state.

Malaysian Nature Society Penang Branch chairman Kanda Kumar said setting up the park would not be right as Penang had no record of the animal’s existence.

“Most tourists would rather spend on heritage and food, not see animals in cages. Land-stressed Penang can do with more houses and recreational parks instead,” he said.

Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said on Sunday that if the 40ha project materialised, it would be the first tiger park in the country with a “whole lot” of tigers.

Penang Tourist Guides Association president Yoong Suh Yen said she personally felt that a tiger park would not be a top-dollar tourist attraction.

Shopowner Ahmad Talib Sham­sudin, 42, who runs a business in Relau, was worried because there would be big trouble if the tigers escaped from their enclosures.

Engineer Penelope Chan, 28, a resident in Sungai Ara near Relau, said that if the state was able to create a very good enclosure mimicking the natural habitat of tigers, the plan would be more acceptable.

“However, the state should work on capitalising its existing arts and culture,” she added.

Student Jack Ng, 16, who lives in Relau, said a tiger park would be a good tourist attraction, adding that children today only got to see tigers in movies or on television.

This article was taken from: The star online: Nation 17 March 2009

Scrap tiger park, work on heritage status

I AM utterly surprised to read the report “Rethink plan to build tiger park, Penang urged“ (The Star, March 17).

What do tigers and Penang have in common to justify the setting up of a tiger park as a tourist attraction in the island state?

I concur with the views made by the Penang branch chairman of the Malaysian Nature Society that the island in the sun has no record of the animal’s existence whatsoever. And, to simply build such a park is a sheer waste of taxpayers’ money!

Also the Penang Government needs to put to better use all of its available land than to waste it on a tiger park that apparently would take up to 40ha.

Penang has long been associated with heritage and food. It is a remarkable tropical getaway - a beach paradise. These hallmarks that have put Penang on the world tourism map should be enhanced and exploited creativiely.

The Chief Minister was right when he pointed out that should the park materialise, it would be the first of its kind for Penang and Malaysia. But being the first seldom means that it would automatically become a crowd puller. A similar park near Pattaya in Thailand is not a top draw among tourists and people hardly pay repeat visits to the site.

Furthermore, visitors today are just not keen on visiting animals that are held in captivity. And, tigers being the ferocious animals that they are, will definitely need to be caged.

Could it be that the Chief Minister was emulating our neighbouring country which has one of the best bird parks and zoos in Asia even though it does not have the animals “in residence”.

If there is a need for such a park (we have our Malayan tigers) then have the park in Pahang. It would enhance the popular elephant sanctuary there.

I suggest that the Penang Chief Minister scrap the plan for a tiger park and instead give due emphasis on the heritage status it received from Unesco. He should also come up with more creative ideas in making Penang the gastronomic capital of Asia.

ZARIMALAYSIANA,

Petaling Jaya.

This article was taken from: The Star Online: News Opinion 18 March 2009

CM defends tiger park idea

By LOOI SUE-CHERN

GEORGE TOWN: Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng has defended his proposal to start a tiger park in Relau, saying that the state needed a new eco-tourism project.

“Some people have suggested a zoo but it is not economical to have one presently. The people, especially children, are generally interested in big animals. The ‘wow’ factor is there,” he said when asked to elaborate on his idea.

Lim had announced that the state government planned to create a tiger park on a 40ha plot owned by the Penang Municipal Council (MPPP) known as the Pondok Durian Cap Kaki.

He said Penang, in its pursuit to become an international city, should have such a park as most international cities had zoos.

The park could have a few other animals but it would mainly feature tigers which symbolised bravery and dynamism, he added.

“It will be a private-driven project and a tender will be called if the state government goes ahead with the plan.

“Currently the state is collecting public feedback. Those who want to contribute ideas or suggestions can write to the state government in Komtar or the MPPP,” he added.

The project, he said, would also help the state government and the MPPP tackle illegal farming activities at the proposed site.

It was reported earlier that the proposal had received negative feedback from the public and several non-governmental organisations like the Malaysian Nature Society Penang branch. They are concerned about the safety issues and felt that the state should concentrate on promoting Penang’s heritage, culture and arts.

Meanwhile, Penang National Park and Wildlife Department director Noor Alif Wira Osman said the state government and private parties involved in the project would have to iron out legal problems if the plan goes ahead.

He said it was not like setting up a bird park.

“The location for the park must be suitable. The safety around the tiger enclosures and surrounding areas is also a main priority,” he said, adding that the care for the tigers would also be subjected to close monitoring by the department.

“There are strict guidelines to follow to get the permit,” he said.

Related story:
Experts: Tigers can survive in logged forests

This article was taken from: The Star Online: Nation 20 March 2009

Experts: Tigers can survive in logged forests

KUALA LUMPUR: Wild tigers caught on camera in a rare study in Malaysia show that the endangered carnivores can thrive in partially-logged forests, experts said.

The study indicated that better wildlife protection in those areas, long thought to be less valuable in conservation efforts, could help Malaysia meet its aim of doubling its tiger population in 12 years, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) said in a statement.

WWF researchers used discreetly placed cameras covering 120 sq kilometres of the forest reserve in Kelantan to capture images of six adult tigers between October 2004 and July 2005, according to the study published in January in the British science journal Oryx.

Officials estimate Malaysia’s wild tiger population has fallen from 3,000 to 500 in the last half-century, largely due to illegal hunting, human encroachment and the destruction of the tigers’ natural jungle habitat.

Last year, the government had announced a plan to have 1,000 tigers roaming in the wild by 2020 through increased protection of jungle corridors where poachers prey on the big cats.

The survey revealed that “selectively logged forests have the potential to accommodate a high population density of tigers,” the WWF statement said.

This, it said, contradicted beliefs by Malaysian authorities that conservation efforts should be focused on less logged forests.

But despite the new findings, the study still indicated the need to “halt subsequent conversion of such habitats to other land uses such as plant commodity crops,” for things like palm oil, said the study’s co-author Mark Rayan, a field biologist for the WWF’s tiger conservation programme in Malaysia.

The study estimated that there are 2.6 adult tigers per 100 sq kilometres of the forest, which has undergone partial logging since the 1970s. Tigers are not often seen by humans in Malaysian forests. — AP

Related story:
CM defends tiger park idea

This article was taken from: The Star Online: Nation 20 March 2009