The Malayan tiger, formerly classified as the Indochinese subspecies, is thought to number fewer than 500 individuals, and occurs in the southern portion of the Malay Peninsula among 3 main pockets of habitat. The Malayan tiger is smaller and darker, with shorter hair, than the other mainland subspecies, with males averaging 120 kg (260 lbs) and females 100 kg (220 lbs).
Malayan tigers currently occur below their carrying capacity—the abundance supported by the habitat—due to habitat degradation and the poaching of tigers and their prey. Development activities and conversion of tiger habitat to agriculture, such as palm oil plantations, increase habitat fragmentation and human-tiger conflict, resulting in retaliatory killings by farmers for attacks on livestock.
The Tiger Conservation Campaign is supporting efforts to reduce poaching and monitor tigers and their prey. These efforts include working closely with the Malaysian government to implement tiger-friendly land-use planning, improve financial and logistical support for anti-poaching patrols, education campaigns to communities living in or adjacent to tiger landscapes, and continued monitoring of tiger and tiger prey populations. To learn more, including how to help, click here.