WWF-Malaysia’s Tiger Conservation Programme's Project Stampede joined hands with the Orang Asli community to protect the endangered Malayan tiger, Malaysia’s symbol of pride, from illegal traps and snares that threaten its survival.
For their noble efforts, WWF-Malaysia Orang Asli Anti-Poaching Team is named as one of the 10 winners of the Star Golden Heart Award (SGHA) 2024.
SGHA is an annual award by The Star that honours everyday Malaysian unsung heroes.
For more details, visit sgha.com.my.
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For their noble efforts, WWF-Malaysia Orang Asli Anti-Poaching Team is named as one of the 10 winners of the Star Golden Heart Award (SGHA) 2024.
SGHA is an annual award by The Star that honours everyday Malaysian unsung heroes.
For more details, visit sgha.com.my.
WATCH MORE: https://thestartv.com/c/news
SUBSCRIBE: https://cutt.ly/TheStar
LIKE: https://fb.com/TheStarOnline
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NewsTranscript
00:00Hi, my name is Azlan.
00:02I'm from WF Malaysia Tiger Conservation Programme.
00:05We are the winner of the Star Golden Hearts Award 2024.
00:21In the heart of the Belum Temanggul Rainforest,
00:24a dedicated team of wildlife protectors
00:27fights a relentless battle against poachers.
00:31Together with Orang Asli Ranges,
00:33members of WWF Malaysia's Tiger Conservation Programme
00:36spend countless hours patrolling the forest depth
00:40and navigating the vast Temanggul Lake.
00:44Their mission is to protect the endangered Malayan tiger
00:48from illegal traps and snares that threaten its survival.
00:52We established Project Stampede in 2018
00:56when we found a spike of snares in the landscapes.
01:00That's where we started to collaborate closely
01:03with the local community, the Orang Asli in the landscape
01:07to remove snares, which is one of the main threats
01:11for the tigers in this landscape.
01:14Azlan said, the Orang Asli's intimate knowledge of the forest
01:17and its wildlife has been a backbone for the project's success.
01:22Currently, we have more than hundreds of patrollers.
01:25They are all from the Orang Asli from different villages in the landscape.
01:30And every month, they spend at least two weeks in the forest
01:33to patrol the forest.
01:36Azlan said, convincing the Orang Asli to join the project
01:39was initially challenging.
01:41However, they became staunch supporters
01:44after seeing how conservation efforts could enhance their lives
01:48and protect their ancestral lands.
01:51They were also introduced to new technologies,
01:54including GPS devices and satellite phones,
01:57which allowed them to document poaching activities
02:00and communicate with authorities more effectively.
02:04We learned a lot from them
02:06in terms of how to identify the good spot to set up camera traps.
02:09They don't need a GPS to track in the forest.
02:13But in this case, because we have to do patrolling in a systematic way,
02:19so we start to teach them how to use technology.
02:25To be honest, we are quite surprised
02:29because they learned all this technology quite fast.
02:33But of course, you need to constantly teach them.
02:37And every year, we have at least two refresher trainings for the Orang Asli
02:43to make sure that they know how to handle GPS properly,
02:46how to communicate with the telephone properly,
02:49how to use camera to record all the data wildlife.
02:54And how to carry out the patrolling in a systematic way.
02:58The rangers are also responsible for setting up camera traps,
03:01a device primarily used in monitoring wildlife in their habitat.
03:06With about 500 photo traps at present,
03:08the equipment proved to be an effective tool
03:11to monitor the tiger population and gather data on the mammals' health.
03:16Now, 2022, 2023,
03:21the number of snares we find in this landscape is really at the minimum level.
03:25So it shows the success of the project,
03:27how the collaborations with the Orang Asli
03:31really bring a positive impact to reduce poaching in this landscape.
03:35I also have to acknowledge that the Perak State Park,
03:38the managing authority for the Royal Blum,
03:40also have beefed up their rangers to carry out the patrolling.
03:44That definitely will contribute
03:46in the reduction of the poaching activities in this landscape.
03:4936-year-old Zainuddin Sudin is among the 100 Orang Asli participating in this project.
03:56I've been wanting to join WWF for a long time.
04:01First, I want to give awareness to the community.
04:06And there is an opportunity for me and the Orang Asli community to work there.
04:12Typically, he said he would spend up to two weeks in the jungle
04:16assisting WWF Malaysia to remove deadly snares
04:19and to report any illegal activities to the authorities.
04:22My experience with poaching is that
04:25they are hunting for their prey,
04:30because they carry guns.
04:33At that time, we were also scared
04:36because we do this kind of work.
04:39So, we try to face them with our stories,
04:44so that the hunters won't recognize us for what we do.
04:52Senior field biologist, Mohamad Afif Wafi Mohamad Taib,
04:56who has been with WWF for eight years,
04:59coordinates a crucial part of this mission,
05:01working closely with the Orang Asli community
05:04to safeguard their natural heritage.
05:07These rangers are facing challenges every day
05:11because they are working in a very hostile environment, right?
05:15You can encounter a lot of vicious animals in the forest.
05:19And also, you need to cross strong rapids.
05:22And also, the vegetations in the forest are too thick
05:25that you can get cuts and also allergy reactions and everything.
05:29So, there are a lot of challenges that these rangers are facing,
05:35but they are willing to do it because they love nature.
05:55The Star Golden Heart Awards
05:57recognize the Orang Asli efforts in tiger conservation efforts.
06:02Winning the award amplifies our conservation efforts
06:05and it also highlights the critical issues
06:08about tiger conservation in Malaysia.
06:11This definitely will elevate our project profiles
06:14and hopefully the trust of the community,
06:18of the public, corporates,
06:20to continue to support us in this journey
06:23to save the tiger in Malaysia.
06:32Happy 10th Anniversary, Star Golden Heart Awards!
06:35Summit! Summit!
06:36Vote Jadi!
06:37Wow!