HomeNewsBeritaBusinessLifestyleOpinionWorldSportsPropertyEducationCarzillaGalleryVideosAccelerator

Rimau founders say ‘it takes a country to save a tiger’

-

Harun Rahman and Lara Ariffin of RIMAU work with indigenous people who patrol the jungles for poachers and snares.

0
Shares
Total Views: 1
Free Malaysia Today
There are fewer than 150 Malayan tigers in the country now. (Rimau pic)

KUALA LUMPUR:
The Malayan tiger, or Panthera Tigris Jacksoni, is an undeniably beautiful beast, often associated with courage and strength.

It is unsurprising that these giant cats are found on the emblem of the Royal Malaysia Police, or that the national football team’s moniker is “Harimau Malaya”.

One would also find two tigers on Malaysia’s coat of arms, standing proudly on their hind legs as they guard the escutcheon.

Yet, it is estimated that there are less than 150 Malayan tigers left in the country, a far cry from the 3,000 that existed in the 1950s.

Threats include habitat loss, poaching and the illegal wildlife trade where tiger body parts are used in traditional medicine, among others. In Bali, the Caspian and Javan tigers are extinct.

Fearing the same fate for the Malayan tiger, Harun Rahman and Lara Ariffin, a husband-and-wife team of documentary filmmakers, decided to do something about it.

They set up the Tiger Protection Society of Malaysia or Persatuan Pelindung Harimau Malaysia (Rimau) in 2018.

Lara, 56, is the president of the NGO while Harun, 58, is the project lead.

FMT Lifestyle caught up with the couple in conjunction with International Tiger Day and learned that Rimau hopes to bring the Malayan tiger back from the brink of extinction by putting boots on the ground.

Free Malaysia Today
Founders Harun Rahman and Lara Ariffin believe a collaborative effort is needed in Malaysia to save her tigers. (Muhammad Rabbani Jamian @ FMT Lifestyle)

“We realise we cannot protect the tigers without getting the local community in the area involved,” Lara added. And who better than the indigenous people who know the jungles like the back of their hands.

So, the team visited the Orang Asli communities and spoke to their leaders about their mission. Together with the Perak State Parks Corporation, the first five patrollers from the Jahai tribe were officially welcomed in 2019. They named their team “Menraq”.

“In the Jahai language, it means ‘the people’. So, it’s the people patrolling team,” Lara shared, adding that their primary goal is to keep an eye out for poachers.

Today there are approximately 90 men who patrol three locations – Royal Belum State Park, Amanjaya and Korbu Forest Reserves in Perak. Besides Jahai, some of the patrollers are from the Temiar tribe.

According to the couple, in addition to paying the patrollers, the organisation also contributes to the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) and Social Security Organisation (Socso).

Free Malaysia Today
The Menraq patrollers, who know the jungle well, play an important role in protecting tigers from poachers and snares. (Rimau pic)

However, Harun said their patrollers do not arrest poachers but will immediately alert the relevant authorities.

“It’s for their safety and they also do not have any power to arrest. But they will collect as much information as possible without engaging, such as the location or the number of people,” he explained, adding that when they come across snares, they either dismantle them or lodge a report.

Empowering a community

Yet, it’s been an uphill battle. “A lot of them couldn’t read or write. In patrolling, we use a protocol called ‘SMART Patrol’, where information about animals or signs of encroachment are collected and written down. One also has to use GPS to record locations so it’s quite a challenge,” Harun explained.

So the patrollers were first taught how to read and write. The couple also started an educational programme for kids in the community who have not attended school yet.

Harun said the kids were taught reading, writing and drawing to get them familiarised with learning so they look forward to starting school.

Free Malaysia Today
Beyond providing job opportunities for indigenous people, Rimau is also empowering their communities through education. (Rimau pic)

The NGO has also introduced a “Community Fund” to benefit the entire village.

“For every day that the patrollers work, RM10 goes into a community fund, which can then be used for food aid or emergencies. So, the whole community benefits,” Lara shared.

Next came the “Menraq Muda” programme, where kids aged 10 to 15 are taught about biodiversity and conservation, among others.

The couple’s journey to save tigers admittedly involves a lot of hard work, so it’s doubly rewarding when poachers are caught.

It was also a historic day when five of the team leaders from the Royal Belum State Park patrol unit won the IUCN WCPA International Ranger Award on July 26, the first time that Malaysia had clinched the award.

The annual award, in its third year, aims to recognise the remarkable work of rangers in protected areas around the world.

All hands on deck

Free Malaysia Today
Malaysians must come together to save the tiger from extinction. (Rimau pic)

The couple believes that saving the tiger must be a collaborative effort between the government, NGOs, foundations and the public.

And while the government has helped in some way, Lara said, more can be done. “We need the highest level of commitment. If we’re too slow, it’s finished. You cannot bring back an animal from extinction,” she said.

“It takes a country to save a tiger,” Harun added.

Learn more about Rimau on its website, Facebook and Instagram. If you’d like to volunteer or sponsor a patroller, contact 017-336 5049 or email admin@rimau.ngo.

Stay current - Follow FMT on WhatsApp, Google news and Telegram

Subscribe to our newsletter and get news delivered to your mailbox.