Tiger Spotted In Batang Kali Area – Here’s What You Should Do If You See One

There have been 4 reports of tiger sightings in Batang Kali and surrounding areas.

(Credit: Perhilitan, Freepik)

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Police have received four reports on the sighting of a tiger wandering around the Batang Kali, Goh Tong Jaya, Kuala Kubu Bharu and Serendah areas with the last sighting on 2 September.

As reported by Bernama, Deputy Superintendent Mohd Asri Mohd Yunus, the deputy police chief of Hulu Selangor, stated that the police had informed the Department of Wildlife Protection and National Parks on (Perhilitan) about the situation.

This action was taken so that Perhilitan could take early necessary measures in order to ensure the safety of the local communities.

Previously, TRP reported that a tiger sighting video in Kuala Kubu Bharu was shared widely on social media in late August.

Dated 28 August, the tiger was spotted in a dashcam footage of a driver travelling down Fraser’s Hill. The tiger was seen climbing over the divider to get to the other side of the road.

In addition to that, the public has also seen and heard the tiger roaring in the area around a chalet owned by a famous social media influencer in Batang Kali on 2 September.

Perhilitan is conducting an investigation on the tiger by installing several cameras to identify the location of the animal.
Deputy Superintendent Mohd Asri Mohd Yunus, Deputy Police Chief of Hulu Selangor

The police also warn the public to be on high alert and careful when carrying out farming activities, climbing hills, entering the forest and other activities in the vicinity of the forest.

Those with information on the tiger can contact the Hulu Selangor district police headquarters at 03-60641132.

Critically endangered species

According to environmentalist Andrew Sebastian, tigers don’t usually view humans as prey. They will only attack if they feel threatened, or if they’re extremely hungry due to lack of available prey.

As stated by the World Wildlife Organization (WWF), as people and tigers compete for space, hence, the forest shrinks and the prey becomes scarce, forcing them to leave the protected areas to search for food or establish a territory.

This takes them into human-dominated areas that lie between habitat fragments, where they can hunt domestic livestock that many local communities depend on for their livelihood.

In retaliation, tigers are sometimes killed or captured.
WWF

Reportedly in 2022, there are fewer than 150 Malayan tigers in the Peninsula which makes them critically endangered.

This is exceptionally serious as not only are tigers threatened by its diminishing habitat, but poachers also hunt them for money.

What to do if you spot a tiger?

If you spot a tiger in the vicinity while you’re in a protected place (car, house, etc.), quickly call for help from the authorities. Perlihitan will step in and tranquillize the animal, bringing it with them to be relocated to another safe forest eventually.

A tiger, named Awang Besul was rescued by Perhilitan in Bukit Besi in 2019 (left) and another called Mek was rescued from the poacher’s trap in Gua Musang last June (right).
(Credit: Perhilitan / Facebook)

But what should you do if you’re not protected, and you spot a tiger?

According to the Wild Tiger Health Centre, there are four types of tiger encounters: Crossed paths, Non-aggressive advances, Defensive behaviour and Predation attempts.

Crossed paths

These may occur when a tiger is walking down a road or pathway or simply moving across it.

Steps:

Stand still
Maintain eye contact
Let the tiger walk away if it’s just passing by

Non-aggressive advances

In this case, the tiger will make an advance towards the person. The apex predator will often be clearly visible, not trying to hide or stalk, and will approach slowly with their ears up and forward.

Steps:

Maintain eye contact and back away slowly
Leave an item behind, like a jacket or backpack, as a distraction
Make a loud noise by shouting or screaming
Make yourself appear as big as possible to hopefully scare the tiger away
If available, deploy a device such as handheld flares

As all cats do, tigers enjoy a chase and in no circumstance, should you turn your back from the tiger and run away, as it’ll likely chase you.

Defensive behaviour

In this situation, tigers will be visibly distressed; their ears may be back or flattened against their head and they may roar or charge towards people.

This type of behaviour is typically triggered when people surprise a tiger or get too close, particularly if the tiger in question is guarding cubs or a kill nearby.

Tiger guarding its kill.
(Credit: Freepik)

Steps:

Don’t show aggression
Back away slowly
Adopt a submissive posture with arms on the sides, relaxed shoulders and a slight dropping of the head to avoid direct eye contact.
Back away from the tiger if it doesn’t proceed towards you

Predation attempts

This rarely occurs but these are some ways that may help if it happens.

The tiger will normally approach from behind with the victim unaware of the tiger’s presence until they are attacked.

Steps:

Use whatever means to defend themselves and scare the tiger away
Shout and scream to attract help and intimidate the tiger
Make yourself as tall and wide as possible
Deploy any device or weapons on it like rocks or sticks
Avoid bending or squatting quickly as this might trigger an attack
Instead, slowly create a distance and carefully pick up the weapon
If multiple people are present, move slowly toward each other to create a group
Children should be held, ideally without bending or stooping over.

Additionally, if all goes downhill and the tiger has you in its grip, stick your right hand into its mouth and it’ll trigger a gag reflex, stopping it from biting, as mentioned in a YouTube video of the How To Survive Series.

Hence, people in the mentioned areas above should be extra careful while doing their activities in the forest.

Don’t hesitate to call the authorities if you spot one.

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