A statement by Malaysia's Ministry of Water, Land and Natural Resources said on Mar. 5, 2020, a Malayan tiger which was previously seen roaming around villages in Mersing, Johor, was found dead.

Tiger was spotted roaming around a village in Mersing on Mar. 1

The official statement on Facebook stated that Malaysia's Department of Wildlife and National Parks (PERHILITAN) in Johor received a complaint from members of the public with regard to a Malayan tiger that was found roaming around the village of Ladang Aramijaya in Mersing, Johor.

PERHILITAN Johor added that a video of the tiger has been circulated on social media and news outlets.

Investigations by PERHILITAN on Mar. 1, 2020, found that a tiger's footprint was found and that several witnesses had seen the tiger lying down or sleeping on the field near the village in Mersing.

Operations were led from Mar. 2 to Mar. 4 to capture the tiger

To protect the public's safety, a team from PERHILITAN Johor was deployed and a tiger trap was installed, from Mar. 2 to Mar. 4, at the area where the tiger was spotted to capture and relocate the tiger.

The official statement mentions that it was important to have staff on-site to ensure that the tiger would not get hunted by illegal poachers.

Carcass of a Malayan tiger was found on Mar. 4

On the third day of operation (Mar. 4) at about 12:30 p.m., PERHILITAN received information from the manager of Ladang Aramijaya that the carcass of a Malayan tiger was found on top of a hill within the area.

Investigations by officials believed that the tiger had died two to three days before the carcass was found.

There were no signs on the carcass that the tiger was shot or trapped.

Death most likely caused by canine distemper virus

PERHILITAN believes that the death of the tiger was caused by a disease, called canine distemper virus (CDV), which causes the affected animal to display tame behaviour, no fear towards humans and a tendency to salivate excessively.

According to National Geographic, the fearless or 'tame' behavior exhibited by a CDV-infected tiger is due to brain damage caused by the distemper virus, which also causes respiratory disease, diarrhoea, seizures, loss of motor control, and sometimes death.

CDV is being observed in tigers around the world where their habitats are shrinking and they are forced to share space with villagers and their dogs, which carry the virus, reported National Geographic.

According to the official statement, this is not the first time PERHILITAN has observed a tiger with this disease which alters its behaviour.

In their statement, they mentioned that similar symptoms were displayed by a tiger, called Awang Besul, in Terengganu in July 2019.

PERHILITAN mentioned that it is carrying out a post-mortem to investigate the cause of death and to see if there is any evidence of criminal activity.

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the Malayan tiger is listed as critically endangered.

According to non-profit organisation, Malaysian Conservation Alliance for Tigers​ (MYCAT), the main threat to Malayan tigers is poaching and the trade in tiger parts.

You can read the full statement here:

On Mar. 1, 2020, PERHILITAN Johor received a complaint from members of the public regarding a Malayan Tiger roaming around Ladang Aramijaya in Mersing, Johor. The video has been circulated on social media and news outlets.

Earlier investigations by PERHILITAN has been done on the same day based on the tiger's footprint that was found as well as information from witnesses who had seen the tiger lying down or sleeping on the field.

To ensure the public's safety, a team of staff from PERHILITAN were tasked to supervise and investigate the area and take necessary actions to capture and move the tiger to a safer place. The presence of the staff at the field is also to ensure that the tiger wouldn't be killed by illegal poachers.

This went on for three days from Mar. 2 to Mar. 4, including the installation of a tiger trap. The operation of setting up the trap was given technical help by the people from the National Wildlife Rescue Centre.

However, on the third day of operation at around 12:30pm, PERHILITAN received information from the manager of Ladang Aramijaya that the carcass of  a Malayan tiger was found on top of a hill within the area.

Investigations conclude that the tiger had died 2-3 days before based on the condition of the carcass that has started to decompose. Investigations on the area did not find any signs of the tiger being, shot, trapped or any other evidence of treacherous behaviour.

PERHILITAN believes that the death is possibly Canine Distemper, a disease that was similarly exhibited by Awang Besul in Terengganu in July 2019. This disease causes the animal to display tame behaviour, no fear towards humans as well as salivating tendencies.

Nonetheless, PERHILITAN will continue to investigate the cause of death from all aspects to see if there were any criminal activities after a post-mortem is done by a PERHILITAN vet.

The Ministry of Water, Land and Natural Resources encourage members of the public to provide any information to PERHILITAN if they have any information about Malayan tigers.

Top photos via Malaysia Animal Association/Facebook