Malayan tiger dead following shocking collision with vehicle on expressway in Malaysia
On Thursday (16 May), a Malayan tiger died from a collision with a vehicle on the Kuala Lumpur-Karak Expressway near Lentang, according to The Star.
Footage of the incident has surfaced on the SG Road Vigilante – SGRV Facebook page, showing that the tiger had attempted to cross the expressway before the vehicle hit it at a high speed.
Source: SG Road Vigilante – SGRV on Facebook
This is the third collision to involve Malayan tigers — an endangered species — in Malaysia in recent months.
Malayan tiger dies after vehicle accident on expressway
The Malaysia Animal Association posted about the incident on Facebook, stating that the tiger is estimated to have been five years old.
Pictures of the incident show the animal lying by the side of the road with people tending to it.
Source: Persatuan Haiwan Malaysia – Malaysia Animal Association on Facebook
In the video by SGRV, the tiger had run out onto the expressway before it was struck and run over by the vehicle. Subsequent images show it lying in the middle of the road.
Source: SG Road Vigilante – SGRV on Facebook
The vehicle had also sustained significant damage from the incident.
According to The Star, Pahang Wildlife and National Parks Department director Rozidan Md Yasin said that the tiger was crossing the expressway at about 1.20am on 16 May.
“The tiger is believed to have come from the Bukit Tinggi forest reserve in Bentong. The animal weighs around 130kg,” he said, further mentioning that the department collected the carcass.
The New Straits Times (NST) reported that after the collision, the tiger landed on the emergency lane. Meanwhile, the driver of the vehicle did not suffer any injuries.
3rd collision to result in death of Malayan tiger
World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Malaysia states on its website that the Malayan tiger is a critically endangered species under the IUCN Red List for Threatened Species.
Preliminary results from a survey conducted from 2016 to 2020 also found that the number of such tigers had amounted to less than 150 in the wild.
In addition, this incident marks the third vehicle collision resulting in the death of a Malayan tiger in Malaysia since November last year.
Earlier this year on 21 March, authorities found a Malayan tiger dead from a traffic accident, estimated to have occurred two days ago. It had been crossing the West Coast Expressway at the time of the tragedy.
On 9 Nov 2023, another tiger had been the victim of a traffic incident on the South Utara Highway.
As a result, Malaysia has lost three Malayan tigers in the span of six months, all accidents coincidentally occurring on a Thursday.
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Featured image adapted from Persatuan Haiwan Malaysia – Malaysia Animal Association on Facebook.
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