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KUALA LUMPUR – Lack of substantive action over the recent death of a man at the claws of a tiger have caused Pos Bihai village residents in Gua Musang, Kelantan to live in fear for their lives.
Due to an apparent rampant belief that tigers will attack them at any moment, the Orang Asli villagers are hesitant to venture outside their living quarters.
With situations as such, their ability to purchase daily goods and provide for their families have been negatively affected.
Speaking to The Vibes, Persatuan Aktivis Sahabat Alam (Kuasa) president Hafizudin Nasarudin said that although the villagers have been receiving public donations, the government must step in with proper aid for the Orang Asli community.
“The nearest town in Kuala Betis is roughly two hours away and most of the villagers ride motorcycles as they do not own cars,” he said, adding that farmers are afraid of encountering tigers on their way to work at a stretch of land nearly one kilometre away from their homes.
According to Hafizudin, their fears are not unfounded as nearby areas had allegedly reported sightings of tigers at various occasions prior to the fatal mauling of a man on January 7.
“Even before the tragic incident, there were cases where people in the Pos Bihai region were chased by tigers, with one notable occasion where a tiger showed up at a school in Kg Tendrik.”
Pandai Jabatan Perhutanan buat kenyataan "play safe".
— Persatuan Aktivis Sahabat Alam - KUASA (@aktivis_alam) January 17, 2022
Ya, mmg jarak kawasan balak ini ke Kg Sau (tempat harimau membunuh lelaki OA) itu lebih kurang 5-6 km. Video kami menunjukkan jarak kawasan pembalakan lebih kurang radius 1 km shj drpd Kg Tendrik & Kg Bayur, Namun, baca ni.. https://t.co/CeC6xZteoO pic.twitter.com/sPxx9e1llz
Noting that Kuasa plans to release a series of videos documenting the experience of the Orang Asli community in the region, Hafizudin added that the people of Pos Bihai have long protested the logging activities carried out on their land.
He said he believes the logging activities in the region are not sustainable and the rainforest trees being harvested are not reseeded, but instead replaced with commercial crops.
“The logging done here is neither sustainable nor selective. They have cut down all the natural trees of the forest and replaced them with rubber trees, which affects the biodiversity needed by tigers to ensure their survival.
“What is the function of the Forestry Department? Is it to take care of the forest or to log all the trees? The state Forestry Department has failed us,” he said.
In a post that has since garnered upwards of 3,200 retweets on Twitter, Kuasa lambasted the government for rebuffing accusations of logging forcing tigers out of their habitats, causing them to now roam unchecked in surrounding areas.
The NGO provided its own photographic evidence contradicting the state administration’s statement.
“Last week, the menteri besar and deputy menteri besar of Kelantan said that the tiger attack at the Orang Asli village of Pos Bihai in Gua Musang that killed a man was not caused by logging.
“The day before yesterday (January 14), we (Kuasa) went to the location of the incident and flew out our drone.
“There has indeed been clear-cut logging near the village,” Kuasa said, adding an image captured by the drone.
Minggu lepas, MB & TMB Kelantan kata kejadian serangan harimau di Kg Orang Asli Pos Bihai Gua Musang yang telah membunuh seorang lelaki bukan disebabkan pembalakan.
— Persatuan Aktivis Sahabat Alam - KUASA (@aktivis_alam) January 16, 2022
Kelmarin kami ke tempat kejadian dan menaikkan drone. Memang terdapat pembalakan tebang habis berdekatan kampung pic.twitter.com/fOsifjR9xm
Kuasa also tweeted a photo of a share notice detailing the alleged licensing of 404ha worth of land in the Perias Forest Reserve to TLC Maju Plantation for rubber plantation purposes.
The Kelantan Forestry Department has since dismissed the image captured by the drone, stating that the photograph shows an area not close to the tiger habitat or the location of the wild animal attack.
The department did not comment on the share notice in Kuasa’s post.
Responding to the dismissal in another tweet, Kuasa said the department is making statements to “play it safe” as previous incidents of tiger sightings in the areas pictured have not been disputed.
“Even if the picture is five to six kilometres away from logging areas, isn’t the radius of movement/tiger corridors 50sq km, or roughly 7km?
“This is not one timber concession, but there are two to three concessions around the Bihai region as claimed by the Orang Asli people,” it alleged.
Dan, jika 5-6 km dari kawasan pembalakan pun, bukankah radius pergerakan / koridor harimau minimum 50km2 atau lebih kurang radius 7 km?
— Persatuan Aktivis Sahabat Alam - KUASA (@aktivis_alam) January 17, 2022
Ini bukan 1 konsesi balak, tetapi terdapat 2-3 konsesi di sekitar wilayah Bihai sepertimana yang didakwa Orang Asli
Gua Musang Orang Asli community leaders, part of Jaringan Kampung Orang Asli, had previously submitted a memorandum to the prime minister demanding effective measures to address their environmental concerns. – The Vibes, January 21, 2022