Malaysia's Royal Tiger Reserve Fights to Save 150 Remaining Wild Tigers

Malaysia's wild tiger population has dropped from 3,000 in the 1950s to just 150 today. To reverse this decline, the Al-Sultan Abdullah Royal Tiger Reserve (ASARTR) was established in 2023 as Southeast Asia's first royal tiger reserve. The project, led by Pahang's crown prince, aims to protect and restore the critically endangered Malayan tiger.

The reserve was created by expanding protected forest by over 30%, forming a 568,500-hectare sanctuary. This area connects to Taman Negara, Malaysia's largest national park, providing a crucial corridor for tiger recovery. Funding has poured in, including €1 million from the European Union in 2024 and $22 million from the Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund in 2025.

Rangers from the Indigenous Orang Asli community, skilled in tracking and survival, patrol the forest using a 'deep-forest counter-poaching strategy'. Their efforts disrupted three poaching attempts in 2025 and ensured the reserve remained snare-free for the year. Camera traps installed across the area have also captured promising signs, including images of a mother tiger with two cubs—early evidence that breeding is taking place.

Malaysia has lost nearly a third of its primary forest since the 1970s, but conservation work has slowed deforestation. In 2024, the country saw a 13% drop in primary forest loss compared to the previous year, showing progress in habitat protection.

The reserve's success in reducing poaching and recording tiger breeding offers hope for the species' survival. With continued funding and anti-poaching measures, the project aims to stabilise and eventually grow Malaysia's wild tiger population. The efforts also highlight the importance of Indigenous knowledge and international support in conservation.