News
Motorist spots tiger walking calmly along M'sian forest road in Johor, in latest of several tiger sightings in the area
The video poster warned motorcyclists to be careful when travelling in the area.
October 31, 2024, 12:41 PM
A tiger was spotted walking on the side of the road near the town of Kluang, in Johor, late at night.
This prompted mild panic from the motorist who spotted it.
Walking a lonely road
A video posted to Instagram account Kluang Hari Ini (Kluang Today) showed a lonely forest road, identified as Jalan Nitar.
On the left side of the vehicle, illuminated by the car's headlights, was a tiger, seemingly about to across the road.
The animal looked on a the car, which had stopped in the middle of the road, before loping away.
The video was posted on Oct. 28, although it's not clear when it was taken.
Jalan Nitar is a long two lane road that cuts through forested area in the west of Johor state, part of a link between the central town of Kluang and Mersing.
Kluang Hari Ini's post warns that motorcyclists should be cautious when riding through the area, presumably because a tiger might be unwilling to attack a car, but might find a motorcyclist just about fair game.
Dwindling numbers of a national symbol
Malayan Tigers are the national symbol of Malaysia, being represented in many of its national sports teams and Johor's own football team, the Johor Southern Tigers.
However, the population has been steadily decreasing over the years, due to loss of habitat and poaching.
According to The Sun, the World Wildlife Fund for Malaysia warned that the animal's population was "critically low", with about 150 wild specimens left, down from under 1,000 in the 1990s.
This has not been the only tiger sighting in the area in recent months, however.
In September, Weird Kaya reported that a tiger was seen walking across a different Kluang road during the day, from a video shared by the same account.
The Star also reported that two men in Johor who were fishing when a tiger approached them from the forest and stole their bags, but left them unharmed.
In early October, a tiger was seen casually hanging out by the side of yet another road near Kluang.
Top image via KHI/Instagram
