Zoo Negara Endures Another Hardship After A Tiger Cub Was Found Dead By Drowning

By Ammar Haziq  •  14 Dec 2020 in News

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The Covid-19 pandemic has caused severe financial devastation for Zoo Negara, which has faced a lot of hardships this year. One of the tragedies that has occurred was the death of a tiger cub.

According to the New Straits Times, a female cub named Melur was found dead in the zoo’s tiger enclosure’s moat back in March. Only recently was it discovered that the cub died by drowning.

The birth of Melur, and her brothers Wira and Hebat on Labour Day was something to celebrate. It wasn’t just symbolic, but it had shone a light on the country’s conservation efforts on the endangered species.

Melur, Wira and Hebat are the children of Kayla and Jati, the adult tigers in the zoo. Their births were considered a success for the zoo’s in-captivity breeding efforts. The three cubs were named by Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali, who is a firm advocate of tiger conservation.

Although there are not many details on Melur’s death, it’s understood that it was an accident. NST reported that according to sources, the zoo’s staff are devastated by the death.

It was believed that an estimated 3,000 Malayan tigers roam the country in the 1950s, which has tragically gone down to 250 in 2014. The International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species has moved the Malayan tiger’s status from “endangered” to “critically endangered.”