Tiger Tiger Burning Bright

Tiger Tiger. burning bright,
In the forests of the night;
What immortal hand or eye.
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

In what distant deeps or skies.
Burnt the fire of thine eyes?
On what wings dare he aspire?
What the hand, dare seize the fire?

And what shoulder, & what art,
Could twist the sinews of thy heart?
And when thy heart began to beat.
What dread hand? & what dread feet?

What the hammer? what the chain,
In what furnace was thy brain?
What the anvil? what dread grasp.
Dare its deadly terrors clasp?

When the stars threw down their spears
And watered heaven with their tears:
Did he smile His work to see?
Did he who made the lamb make thee?

Tiger Tiger burning bright,
In the forests of the night:
What immortal hand or eye,
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?

" The Tiger - a poem by William Blake (1794)"

Above are two items that I would like to highlight - the coat of arms of Malaysia and a poem by William Blake circa 1794 - that display the tiger (panthera tigris) and speak highly of it. Today the number of tigers in the wild have dropped from over 100,000 in the early 1900s to just over 5,000 currently. Their range from Siberia in the north right up to Bali has now dwindled to tiny pockets of protected forests in Asia.

Malaysia is home to the Malayan Tiger (panthera tigris malayensis) a sub-species that was officially ratified in 2004. Up to that period, the world believed that the big cat of our Malaysian forests was the Indochinese Tiger (panthera tigris corbetti). Now isn't this something to be proud of? We have a gift from Mother Nature that we can call our own and this is our national treasure. Today roughly around 500 of these majestic beasts roam the dense forests of Peninsular Malaysia. Their numbers used to be much much more but illegal poaching, reduction of natural habitat, reduction in natural prey such as sambar deers and wild boars and human tiger conflict have put paid to their numbers. 

With the creation of national parks, there is some form of protection offered to these beasts who reign supreme over our forests. They are the apex predators of the forest and it is up to us to maintain this status quo. With the initiative of this Tiger Blogfest, it is hoped that the general public take a keen interest in the protection and well-being of this natural treasure. For starters, spread the word around and keep your circle of friends informed on the plight of our national treasure. Also please shun all form of medications that are made of tiger body parts as it has been scientifically proven that there is no truth in their supposed medicinal properties - remember when the demand stops, the reason to supply stops - also please refrain from using tiger body parts as ornamental decorations.

Let us take the first proactive steps beginning today to ensure the well-being of our national treasure so that it's beauty and mystery can be enjoyed by the future generations. Let the roar of the king be heard forever in our forests and may he rule supreme for generations to come...

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The tiger is our national animal. Our heritage. But today only less than 500 of them

remain in the wild. As Malaysians, we need to stand up and protect our heritage.

Speak to your children. Speak to your leaders. Everyone of us can make a difference.

For further information, please visit MYCAT (www.malayantiger.net), WWF Malaysia

(www.wwf.org.my) and Department of Wildlife & National Parks (www.wildlife.gov.my)

HARIMAU KITA, WARISAN KITA!!!

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Tiger Blogfest 2010

As a concerned nature lover, I've decided to participate in the upcoming Tiger Blogfest 2010 that was initiated by a fellow blogger from Malaysia who goes by the nickname Monyet King (http://planetofthemonyets.blogspot.com/2010/03/tiger-blogfest-info.html). This is a great effort and something that we should partake in and help in spreading awareness for the tiger. The majestic beast which rules supreme the rain forests of Malaysia and Asia. If something isn't done to stop the illegal poaching, I'm afraid the future generations would only have old episodes of National Geographic Channel or only pictures to know what this beast looked like. There is no point in having it on our nation's emblem if nothing is done to protect it. What pride there is when our national heritage is in danger of being totally wiped out?

Let's do our part for the tiger and educate others on the need to protect and conserve this majestic beast.

Below, I'm reproducing details of the Tiger Blogfest 2010 obtained from Monyet King's blog for the benefit of others intending to join.

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Tiger Blogfest 2010 – Preliminary Instructions

Period

19 – 23 April 2010 [Why ? Because 22 April is Earth Day]

What to do

Post at least one piece in your blog about the need to protect the tiger. You can plan and prepare ahead of time. Your first posting must be made on 19^th April, preferably before 9.00 a.m.

You are encouraged to post additional articles during that week. But you can just stick to one post if you cannot spare the time. It would however be nice if everyone can post two pieces, one on the 19^th April and the other towards end of that week.

What to write

Post anything that you are comfortable with as long as it carries a message about the need to protect our tigers. You can choose to write a story about the tiger, post a technical paper, compose a song or a poem, draw cartoons, etc. etc. Preferably in English or BahasaMalaysia.

Comradeship

All participating blogs should carry (1) the Tiger Blogfest 2010 logo; and (2) a common message about protecting the tiger. Both these items will be provided to all participating bloggers.

List of participating blogs

The list of participating blogs will be displayed at several tiger and nature-related websites. We are targeting 100 blogs for this inaugural Tiger Blogfest. [we already have unofficial confirmations from 22 blogs]

Other activities

Still being considered :

• Link to a petition, urging the Government to expedite the implementation of the National Tiger Action Plan
• A talk on tiger conservation – all participating bloggers will be invited

Note : The final instructions will be emailed to allparticpating blogs (i.e. those who register)

Interested ?

If you are interested in doing your bit to help protect our tiger and participate in this blogfest, please contact Planet of the Monyets at gbm.ere@gmail.com to register your blog. [and if you want help beyond just writing about the tiger, do let me know too... tiger conservation could do with plenty of help]
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