Authorities in Malaysia’s northern Kelantan state announced Sunday plans to protect villagers from tiger attacks after a woman was severely mauled and killed.
Pazil Abdul Patah, director of the Kelantan Wildlife and National Parks Department said the programme included tracking the whereabouts of tigers and setting traps.
He also said it was vital to catch poachers, who were encroaching on tiger habitats.
“If the villagers cooperate by giving information on the poachers, the poachers would not be able to disturb the tigers again,” he told the state-run Bernama news agency.
“We hope the villagers will clear their small holdings of bushes as this could help to prevent more attacks.”
Rokiah Latiff, 48, a rubber tapper, was found dead on Friday at her rubber plot near the village of Kampung Pasir Dusun, about 190 kilometres (118 miles) from the state’s capital, Kota Baru.
Villagers reported hearing tiger roars and tiger paw prints were found at the scene.
Tigers are highly sought after for their meat in many parts of Asia, while tiger body parts are used as aphrodisiacs.
A 1997 government survey estimated there were some 600-650 tigers left in peninsular Malaysia, as opposed to around 5,000 in the 1950s.
