Tiger Tiger, Burning Bright: A Legal Perspective On The Plight of the Malayan Tiger

Abstract

Today, the Malayan tiger faces an urgent and distressing situation. As of August 2023, there are fewer than 150 of these magnificent animals left in their natural habitat. Despite having in place laws, policies, action plans and various other efforts, the Malayan tiger population continues to show no signs of improvement. Using a qualitative method of an analysis of the relevant literature, this article seeks to analyse the conservation efforts made in Malaysia for the Malayan tiger, primarily from a legal perspective. In order to determine whether these conservation efforts are effective, a few references will be made to the legal regime currently in place in India and southern Africa, which has seen successful conservation numbers of the Bengal tiger and the African elephant, respectively. The findings show that Malaysia severely lacks a comprehensive and holistic legal framework that is catered specifically to the protection of the country’s most endangered animal.