Yes, I killed a tiger but now I want to save them, says photographer

A freelance photographer who accidentally rammed into a pregnant tiger near Kemaman, Terenggganu, now wants to volunteer in efforts to protect the endangered animal. Mohd Syahrin Abdul Aziz, 43, said he would volunteer his skills in photography and videography in an effort to bring greater awareness of the importance of protecting tigers, of which only about 300 were left in the wild. "I can also help spread awareness through social media to get more people aware of conservation work," said Syahrin, who, runs the popular bridal web site, "The Wedding Diaries". Syahrin is no stranger to volunteering his time for wildlife protection, having helped film a documentary on turtle conservation in Teregganu a few years ago. He still dreams about the accident, which occurred on February 5 as he was driving with his wife and two children on the East Coast Highway 2 heading towards Terengganu. It is learnt that the animal came out of nowhere to cross the road in front of Syahrin's MPV about 1am. "Sometimes in my dreams, the tiger did not die," Syahrin said.  He felt worse about the accident after learning that the tiger was pregnant with two cubs. "At first I thought it was just social media speculation. But when I was told by a Wildlife Department officer that it was true, I was heartbroken." According to the Malaysian Conservation Alliance for Tigers (MY CAT), the Malayan tiger or Panthera tigris jacksoni, is only found in the peninsula. MY CAT data showed that in the 1950s there were about 3,000 tigers in the peninsula. That number has now dwindled to about 300. The Wildlife and Natural Parks Department's (Perhilitan) own tiger conservation programme estimates the 2015 tiger population in the peninsula to be between 250 and 340. What disgusted Syahrin was how one motorist who had stopped at the accident scene tried to remove the carcass. A Perhilitan officer told The Malaysian Insider that a tiger carcass could fetch up to RM500,000 on the black market. "The guy wanted to remove the carcass but I stopped him. He went away and later came back with a hammer had tried breaking its jaws to steal the fangs." At that point Syahrin was busy dealing with highway emergency personnel to stop the unidentified man. He does not know if the man managed to get any tiger tooth. There is a high demand for tiger teeth, whiskers and all its organs in the traditional Asian medicine market, said the Perhilitan officer who requested anonymity. Hunting endangered species, such as the Malayan tiger, is punishable by a fine of between RM100,000 and RM500,000 or up to five years in jail under the Wildlife Conservation Act 2010. In the future, Perhilitan would ensure that nearby wildlife habitats were taken into consideration before a highway is built, the officer said. Concessionaires also have a responsibility to identify whether their projects encroached into wildlife habitats. "If so, then build a specific wildlife crossing into the project so that we do not disrupt their behaviour. This is done in other countries," the officer said. "But the best is to not damage the habitat. Our forests should be protected as they are a national heritage." Syahrin also urged other Malaysian institutions using the tiger in their logo to join or intensify efforts to save these animals. "Companies like Maybank, the Harimau Malaya football team and the Malaysian police all use the tiger in their logos. I hope they contribute to saving the tiger so that our grandchildren do not see the animal only in logos." – February 14, 2016. ]]>