Captured tiger Yong Choh to be released into the wild next month

 The tiger, captured last month, is in good health and sufficiently aggressive to survive independently, says minister Arthur Joseph Kurup.

Yong Choh was captured by the wildlife and national parks department in Sungai Choh, Ulu Kinta, on July 22.

SUNGKAI:

A female Malayan Tiger captured last month will be released into the wild from the national wildlife rescue centre here early next month in the first such release from the centre.

The tiger, named Yong Choh, was found to be in good health and sufficiently aggressive to survive independently, said the minister of natural resources and environmental sustainability, Arthur Joseph Kurup.

The tiger was captured by the wildlife and national parks department in Sungai Choh, Ulu Kinta, on July 22.

Kurup said the centre’s breeding-in-captivity programme had produced 13 tiger cubs since 2023, of which nine have survived and are continuing to grow. This year, eight cubs were born to the breeding pair of Mek Santong and Yeop Kuang in two litters in January and July.

“The cubs are still being monitored, fed and carefully cared for. Most importantly, we need to ensure that they are sufficiently healthy. After that, we will assess their condition, but we usually wait a few years to see whether they can be acclimatised to a habitat before considering releasing them into their natural habitat,” he said.

The breeding pair of Cindai and Bobby produced one cub in April 2025 while another pair Queen and Awe Jeli produced four cubs in March 2026.

Arthur said the breeding programme helps to increase the tiger population while maintaining genetic diversity, providing individuals for conservation strategies and strengthening local expertise in captive tiger breeding management.

“This is one of the only wildlife rescue centres in Peninsular Malaysia. So far, we are only using about 24 acres, but this reserve covers around 3,000 acres. Therefore, if there is a need to further increase capacity, we can work towards that,” he said.

The Malayan tiger (Panthera tigris malayensis) is a sub-species native to Peninsular Malaysia and is classified as critically endangered. - FMT