GUA MUSANG: The Orang Asli community at Pos Bihai here say tigers have been roaming around their settlement area since the animals were first spotted in June.A resident of Kampung Tendrik, Apek Asud, 39, said that several tiger pawprints were found near villagers’ houses as recently as Friday.
“Almost every night, the wild animals roam around our village. The next morning, there will be footprints in the house compound and a dog died after being attacked.
“At night, we hear the sound of dogs barking, but we are afraid to go out to see what is happening, so we stay indoors and only go into the forest as a group,” he said, Bernama reported.
He added that the Temiar tribe people in the settlement were terrified to go out of the house for their daily activities.
The tigers have been spotted roaming around for the past three months and pawprints have been detected around Kampung Tendrik, Kampung Sau, Kampung Hak, Kampung Badak and Kampung Bihai Lama, he said.
Village chief Tendrik Alang Segan, 50, said they have lodged a complaint with the Wildlife Protection and National Parks Department (Perhilitan).
“Perhilitan has already come to inspect our village area. We really hope that the tigers can be captured and relocated,” he said.
Galas assemblyman Mohd Syahbuddin Hashim urged Perhilitan to take immediate action because residents are now afraid to go out to work.
“The tiger population is quite high in this area and lately, sightings have increased probably because their habitats have been degraded and destroyed,” he said while urging the parties involved to take measures to resolve human-wildlife conflict.
