Malaysian Conservation Alliance for Tigers (MYCAT) coordinator Wong Pui May said the group welcomed the announcement by the government to extend the deer-hunting moratorium.

She told FMT this was crucial as the wild deer population had been decimated by poaching for the illegal wild meat market.

“An immediate next step would be to upgrade sambar and barking deer as totally protected species under the Wildlife Conservation Act 2010,” she said, adding that it had been reported that this process had already begun.

She explained that a totally protected species could not be hunted or traded and poachers or traders convicted of the offence could face stiffer penalties of up to RM300,000 or 10 years jail, or both.

“There also needs to be greater scrutiny of those in possession of firearms licences as firearms are being misused to poach endangered wildlife,” she said, adding that those found guilty must be penalised to the full extent of the law.

Ecotourism & Conservation Society Malaysia (EcoMy) CEO Andrew Sebastian also lauded the move.

He said there was an urgent need to strengthen the enforcement capacity of agencies involved in protecting wildlife.

“While we are doubtful that even 300 tigers are left in Malaysia, it is not too late to take urgent and holistic measures to protect the ones that remain.”

On Wednesday, The Star Online reported that the government would extend the hunting moratorium on sambar deer by six years, starting November.

Natural Resources and Environment Minister Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said the move was aimed at ensuring the survival of the Malayan tiger as the sambar deer was an important food source for the tigers.

The previous moratorium on hunting sambar deer ended last November.

Wan Junaidi said there were only 700 to 1,000 sambar deer left in the peninsula and that if these were to die, the tiger would be forced to hunt other prey.