News Room

Bengal tiger cub

The tiger is currently classified as Endangered by the IUCN (The World Conservation Union) and three of its nine subspecies are extinct. The Malayan tiger is one of the remaining subspecies with approximately 5,000 animals left in the wild. Human-tiger conflict has been one of the main causes of decline in the tiger population and is now being addressed in order to prevent the extinction of the entire species.

HSBC Malaysia committed to work on this problem with WWF Malaysia in 2005. They set up a three-year, US$180,000 project. The project addresses the human-tiger conflict by implementing a conflict resolution model with the help of community engagement. This allows specific solutions to known problems such as creating effective practices to protect human financial losses as a result of livestock deaths. The Living Together in Harmony project is successfully creating a platform on which local residents, non-governmental organisations and government officials can discuss and attempt to solve human-tiger conflict issues.

In addition to this main focus, the programme includes educational tools and awareness-raising events.

• 40 students and eight teachers attended a one-day event in the Setong Forest Reserve to learn about the importance of preserving wildlife;
• The first Human-Wildlife Mitigation Conflict workshop was conducted in July 2006 to gather perspectives on human-wildlife conflict issues. The workshop was attended by local and international experts on wildlife and from related associations and non-governmental organisations;
• The Tigers Alive website was launched in August 2006 to target secondary school students and teach them about the importance of conservation in a fun and interactive manner;
• The HSBC-WWF Tiger Trail was held in Kuala Lumpur in the form of a treasure hunt to raise awareness about the issues;
• Eight HSBC staff members volunteered to help the local Kota Bahru community clear an abandoned orchard where a tiger had made several attacks on humans.

launch of tigersalive.com