Just a few days after we celebrated World Wildlife Day, a male Malayan tiger, named ‘Awang Rasau’, died from the injuries he sustained after he was shot eight times by poachers.
Photo via Facebook (Jabatan PERHILITAN Semenanjung Malaysia)
According to the Facebook post by The Department of Wildlife and National Parks (PERHILITAN), the tiger died on Friday (March 5th).
In the post, they said that the bullet injured his lungs and nervous system: “Awang Rasau died due to nerve complications and excretory system failure, as well as a bacterial infection from the bullet wound in his legs.”
Awang was found at an oil plantation in Felda Kerteh 3 in Terengganu by residents.
[BERITA SEDIH: KEMATIAN AWANG RASAU] Dukacita dimaklumkan Awang Rasau telah tiada. Kematian Harimau Malaya jantan...
Posted by Jabatan PERHILITAN Semenanjung Malaysia on Friday, March 5, 2021
PERHILITAN’s director-general, Datuk Abdul Kadir Abu Hashim said that Awang Rasau was rescued by 15 personnel from the Dungun and Kemaman branches at 11:30 am on February 22nd, as reported by the New Straits Times.
He was then transferred to the National Wildlife Rescue Centre in Perak for further treatment.
“Shots fired by illegal hunters had paralysed the tiger’s hind legs and caused other severe injuries. However, Awang Rasau was showing positive developments where its appetite increased and it was able to lift its head and change its body position,” he said.
Kadir further explained that one of the shots fired by the illegal hunter had hit its spinal cord, which might have caused its nerves to fail and paralysed both its hind legs.
Awang Rasau had been shot several times before, too, but the old wounds were said to be not serious, which broke our hearts!
No animal deserves to be treated this way. Everyone has to play a part in protecting our endangered species, including the Malayan tiger.
Here are 8 endangered species in Malaysia that we think you should know.
By: Aishah Akashah Ahadiat
