Update: Please, no tigers on the island! That’s the plea of an experienced vet in Penang whom I spoke to. “Penang as an island is not the place for wild animals especially tigers. The whole concept of having animals is not like those days when they were caged. Now they are left to roam in the loose and they have their own environment, but never in captivity. Even the concept of zoos has changed to the open system. You can’t have a tiger roaming wild on the island (without a supporting ecological balance). In a normal safari, the animals have their own eco-system where the bigger animals (roam around and) survive by eating smaller animals.”
Looks like the proposal for a Tiger Park in Penang is receiving a mauling.
And not just from local wildlife conservation groups such as the Malaysian Conservation Alliance for Tigers (Mycat!), which comprises the Malaysian Nature Society, Traffic Southeast Asia, Wildlife Conservation Society-Malaysia Programme and World Wildlife Fund-Malaysia.
News of the Tiger Park plan has even reached the global media for all the wrong reasons. Check out the BBC report here.
If the Penang government is really interested in eco-tourism, then it should clean up the beaches and rivers and protect the hillslopes from greedy property developers. Identify the sources of river and sea pollution and penalise the culprits. Create a more liveable city too by reducing the dependence on private motor vehicles and promoting public transport. (Do not approve the Penang Outer Ring Road.) And oh yes, create more parks – people’s parks, that is, not artificial tiger parks. Pulau Jerejak could also be turned into a nature sanctuary.
Who would want to come and pay big money to gawk at tigers during a recession (or depression)? Zoos do not excite children these days as they seem obsessed with computer games and playstations and what-have-you.
Now we know the Council does have 100 acres it could use for a People’s Park. A well-maintained People’s Park would would make Penang stand out and in the long run draw more visitors than an artificial Tiger Park.
If the tigers are not properly looked after, the park could have the opposite effect and put people off Penang. I recall how a global signature campaign was recently carried out in the West after a tourist captured on video a couple of monkeys kept in a small cage in a private park in an island resort in peninsular Malaysia.
When I received the news via an email petition, I immediately alerted the park owners and told them about the video and the petition and told them to do something about it. They told me they were taking immediate action – and I believe they did act on it. But by then the bad publicity had already spread via the Internet through the outraged remarks on the online signature petition and the emails circulating around.
This is the sort of the thing that could happen in this age of Youtube and online petitions if nature lovers see wildlife being poorly treated.
Which would you prefer in Penang?
- A People's Park (74%, 1,325 Votes)
- A Tiger Park (21%, 369 Votes)
- Don't know (5%, 96 Votes)
Total Voters: 1,790
First of all, what’s with People this and Rakyat that? Sure, people voted them in. That doesn’t mean everything have to name after people.
Secondly, there’s already a park nearby – the Relau Metropolitan Park. Why another park in a similar area? If anything, the George Town city needs a park, another park in the vicinity of another park.
Thirdly, I get that you, and a lot others, care about the environment. I too consider myself an environmentalist. However, that doesn’t mean development MUST be sacrificed for environmental protection.
A lot of the proposal you suggested depends on the success of the project, and the success depends on the viability and feasibility, which is tied to the population of Penang. Without an increase in population brought by development, how would your tram proposal, for example, be successful?
The more I read your posts, the more I think you criticise for the sake of criticising.
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I have to agree with Anil on few points:
1) Cleaning up the beaches
Yup, but it takes 2 hands to clap. Would Anil spearhead the clean up campaign? Perhaps, adopt Singapore approach! Implement a FINE policy. Fine litterbugs heavily. Perhaps, impose Corrective Work Order. Shame culprits with camera. You know it’s extremely hot in the 90s whereby Singapore vigorously impose such policies. Instilling so much fear that my parents don’t ever dare to spit in Singapore
Anil,
It’s not a sarcastic remark. A genuine but tough policy. Would you support it? Or go on condemning it as a repressive policy.
People,
Impose policies of having different charges on waste based upon the weight. Literally increase the rate so as to maintain a clean street or beach.
Anil,
Would you support such Singapore’s policies? Would Penangites support such policies?
2) Reducing dependance on private cars
Impose COE, ERP/toll charges. Increase penang bridge tolls for private vehicle. Introduce weekend car. Park & Ride.
Plenty, plenty of things that we can literally implement in Penang
Again, Anil……Ordinary Penangites can accept it……
Aiyah, ain’t we asking for too much for a government who has a revenue base of 300 million ringgit
Therefore, I say……..Focus on grabbing power from the federal government. Then, we talk about implementing good policies
Keyword is : FOCUS! PRIORITISE! STRATEGISE!
Anyway, I don’t think Gerakan/MCA/MIC or even UMNO can do the job…….
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anil
cleaning the beaches and the river is must even during
Gerakan’s time (KTK)except that nothing has been done about it but i am sure money has been paid but job not done.
Restricting development is one cause for alarm because penang population is still low comparatively.
currently the state goverment at loggerhead with the federal dont you think our economy need to be self sustain with more people?
Again I notice that the state is controling the much needed development for penang with the introduction of height control
and etc
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Tiger Park is not important. The government must actually ban the sale of tiger’s testicles and penis
Many tigers in Mlaaysia die because their penis and testicles are cut off. Both are cut off whilst the tiger is still alive and it suffers in pain.
This is because a certain race in Malaysia love eating tiger testicles and penis to give them strength and vitality. They love to make soup of the tiger’s testicles and penis.
The park worries me. Many might go to the park to stare at the penis and testicles of the tiger with the intention of cutting it off.
I appeal to this certain race, please stop all this. Why make the poor animal suffer?
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Why not we do all these together? Clean up the rivers, the beaches and the food retail areas in Penang and build the Tiger Park?
The cleaning up will definitely make Penang a much more attractive destination and the the Tiger Park, an added attraction to local and foreign tourists.
I don’t see why everything the current Penang government is trying to do attract so much opposition from people like the NGOs and you Anil. You oppose the WiFi project, you oppose the hillslope development, the monorail, the outer-ring-road, and now this Tiger Park.
Tell me, how is Penang going to go forward if we do nothing? You think just cleaning up will do the trick?
Except for the opposition towards the Penang Global City Centre, NGOs in Penang now seems to be hyper active in opposing every single project by the Pakatan government, I wonder why?
Look at the poll on this blog to see how many people favour a Tiger Park. – Anil
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Your poll? A poll like this, on a website like this, would have far too little sample size and the result far too biased.
I am not defending the Tiger Park. I am just saying stop being so subjective.
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What kind of cockeyed idea is this? Is CM Lim Guan Eng and this Pakatan government being cynical towards the people of Penang? We did not fight to stop PGCC only to see a Tiger Park set up in Penang for goodness sakes!!! Is Guan Eng and his cabinet colleagues so out of touch with reality? Who are his dim-witted advisors? Grief! Is Guan Eng and his cabinet colleagues not even aware about current trends in global conservation and environmental awareness? And now the Penang government wants to ‘study the matter further before making a decision’? Pray tell, what is there to study when the project is so ridiculous it is not even worth considering? Clearly there is a major intellectual deficit in the Penang government for even entertaining this hair-brained idea in the first place.
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Well Anil, looks like ordinary Penangites will have to wait UNTIL and UNLESS PR rule the country for good policies to be implemented. Meanwhile, Penang will remain stagnant, beaches and rivers remain polluted, one can see the whole of Penang Island just standing on Penang Road; and ordinary Penangites will remain just that …… ordinary. The people who criticize you for criticizing are the same people who curse and swear and honk their way through the daily traffic jams and still think Penang needs a population explosion to warrant a tram system. Does development means having more babies? Pity the women folk!
Look around the country for the white elephants mooted by some great leaders. Oh, you have one in Penang, sticking out like a sore thumb! Yes Anil, Tiger Whatever is a bad idea. So is the idea of an arch (marble??) to commemorate the UNESCO heritage site. A plaque will do fine.
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Han2, agree with you.
Those peoples are simply act like holier than thou in all cases.
Sooner, they may request to demolish Komtar, Times Square, Quuensbay Mall, Gurney Plaza and replace with thick forest and even protest to ban all vehicles to the island, only using TRAMS and turn Penang into Fantasy Island!!!
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I’m looking foward for the people’s park on my next visit to my home town. 1950 – 52 sek.melayu Kelawai. 1953 – 56 westlands primary school. 1957 – 61 westlands second school. 1964 – 65 join survey research malaysia(gullop group). 1966 – 74 fleda . 1974 – 98 lkpp negeri pahang. you tell them anil i don’t want the tiger’s park if they put up the park i’ll go back and protes. halo state govnt! i can’t afford to be back in penang can you people offer me a place. i presume i deserved the right to roam in penang then the tigers.
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People,
We got to be practical in everthings that we do. However, I am not saying Anil is wrong. Tiger Park thingy, that one I agree
Introduce Tram. OK unless you can solve the car population problem. Hey, we are not fairy godfathers you know. Especially got so many “enemies” to tackle. Federal government, recalcitrant top civil servants. Remember the Tree Assembly…….
The thing of ” state government could be in big trouble if not listening to NGOs” smack of arroganism…..You mean all NGOs represents every single Penangites……….
One good example about Singapore car policy (Who say Singaporeans are docile people. Just check out the amount of mails top politicians are receiving including Lee Hsien Loong. Singaporeans demanding folks.Me got affected. They just love being in air conditioned and don’t like to stand under hot sun)
To control car. come with all kinds of policies
1) Car pooling – don’t work
ERP – Electronics Road Pricing
2) Introduce ARF (Additional Registration Fees). Another form of car
duty. Cheeky PAP
3) High road tax. Hike HDB & URA parking fees
4) CBD – Central Business District. Pay money to enter. Just put a
sticker on car window
5) Restricted Area – R(A).
6) Weekend car
7) COE – Certificate of Entitlement for car owning
All these policies implemented to solve car congestion problems. Simply, problem still there though contained because it boils down to 2 things.
1) People still stick to the habit of owning car even with good public transportation
2) Of course, Singapore government wanna make money from ERPs, ARFs & COEs
For that matter, I say before it takes 2 hands to clap.
Sorry to repeat the mantra……….
Ain’t we expect too much from LGE & his government…….LKY & his government so smart also kenna ejected….
So, shall we concentrate in taking over federal government FIRST?
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Khenthoths,
I am advocating a balanced approach. Cover all corners. Implement consistent policies. Not patch up policies going no where like Singapore car polutions. Oops, Me criticising LKY’s government. Shesshh….Hahaha……..Singapore not as bad as you guys think…..See opposition can sue one minister for libel (hmm….some thing about not a scholar) and won…..Make sure before you damn people, prepared to be damned and counter damn with facts.
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Han2 has a good point. Anil seems to be opposing anything that’s being proposed by Penang Government. Well, to a certain point, Anil’s opposing for the right reasons. Monorail was opposed with good reason. We never needed that. PORR was opposed for the same reasons as Monorail. Both these projects were proposed by Gerakan cos they were too lazy to clean up the traffic jams in Penang. Lazy MPPP not doing their jobs.
But Anil opposing Free Wifi was total c… Not knowing anything about wifi, just oppose first. Then he opposed tall buildings in Heritage areas, not knowing what it’s all about. Anil, I respect you, but sometimes you can be quite a jerk! You should be in politics. Cause when politicians open their mouths, c… comes out before they even do any research on the subject that they talk about. Seems like the story of Penang. It’s been a year of DAP rule. Nothing visible has changed. They got 3 more years to go. Anyone wanna bet that nothing will happen till next elections?
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Come on, are you guys kidding me? A “People’s Park”? I can seriously hear the communist Revolutionary Songs playing at the back of my head after reading this idea.
A Tiger Park is possible if Penang adopt the style and the concept of Singapore Zoo. While it may boost the economy of the Tourism sector, it can also become a Reseacrh centre to study tigers… after all we have a APEX university in the island.
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This is a very BAD idea!
And it will give Penang a bad reputation for sure if this commercially-based urban Tiger Park is built there so that some ignorant people/tourists can come there to gawk at these wild creatures displaced from elsewhere in Malaysia.
If you love these tigers and want to save them from extinction then please protect and keep them safe in their natural wild habitats.
Protect them from the greedy poachers who kill them heartlessly for short-term cheap cash, and help educate those who now irresponsibly use specific parts from their killed bodies to make and sell pointless and totally useless mumbo-jumbo pseudo-potions that supposedly act as (false) sexual-performance enhancing aphrodisiacs or (false) human longevity-life enhancers.
Have you ever looked into the wild burning eyes of a tiger that has been trapped and locked-up in a glass-windowed cage in a man-made prison called a ZOO, and watched it pacing back and forth in that confined space in real distress?
And have you seen how these proud animals look and act in their wild and free natural states in their natural habitats, quite a few of which are now protected tiger reserves that you can visit?
If you have, then you will understand why the people of Penang must stop this idea dead in its tracks.
“Imagine Power To The People” John Lennon.
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tiger park incorporating conservation, breeding and release program is not such a bad idea la…
come on people, you think that all those roaming in the wild are not being poached?
our tiger population is on the decline. i agree that tigers need a certain amount of space to roam and hunt but at the rate that they are being killed, surely our forests can sustain more numbers of tigers.
i am no wildlife expert and do not like zoos but i am just thinking that something needs to be done to keep tigers around for as long as we can.
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Can’t even manage Penang and some people are talking about taking over Federal government. Idiots!
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Penang seems to be full of parks … butterfly park, bird park, hibiscus park, monkey park (waterfall gdns.)..and now a Tiger Park?. How have these projects benefitted the economy of the state (jobs, tourism $$$), and the people of Penang (in terms of recreational and even psychological benefits.)? Or are there better alternatives?
As for clean beaches, roads..etc, are the people of Penang willing to do their bit to help.? Are you people willing to stop littering the beaches, learn to pick up somebody’s rubbish from the floor/road/beach? Don’t just pay lip service and whine and complain against the govt. of the day, be it Gerakan or PR. For the sake of Penang, get off your buttocks and do something. Its your state lah.!
Anil, perhaps you can goto http://www.kagum.org to see how a Malaysian NGO is trying to do its bit in helping our environment…cleaning up rivers and beaches for a start.
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The tiger park is actually not a bad idea if it is well planned and properly managed with good scientific researchers. It’s the implementation that is most important. Make sure it is not hangat hangat tahi ayam and the tigers end up abused.
Many countries have wildlife conservation sanctuaries with successful breeding programs including by artificial insemination. The number of wild tigers may be too scarce to maintain wild population naturally. If well carried out with a big enough space and expertise, who knows the tiger park may be able to produce a few cubs a years to be released into the wild. Wouldn’t that be wonderful for tiger conservation.
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Penang needs something different, not a tiger park and not a peoples park though the present parks should be expanded, but by stopping hillslope developments, we have more parks. We need something different for eco-tourism. I am still thinking what is should be ?
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“A well-maintained People’s Park would would make Penang stand out and in the long run draw more visitors than an artificial Tiger Park.”
Stop being the Mr Know It All. Who is to say a Tiger Park will not be successful here. Where do you get the confidence to make statements like that without any supporting data?
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Sunny, even Vet also say not good to have Tiger Park lah. You got what qualification to speak in authority?
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Just when we think Lim wouldn’t get any dumber and then we get this idiotic idea of Tiger Park….Sigh…reminds of the movie “Dumb and Dumber”…sigh…
Why can’t LGE work on his GE Manifesto rather than keep issuing unending (but meaningless) press statements on everything under the sun and try to play the econmomic wizard and the senior stateman ?
As stated by some people, Penang’s attractions are already in place and the state is like an unpolished pearl that had its luster faded due to poor administration and irresponsible development under the previous BN govt.
A Tiger’s part is not just wrong environmentally but also does not make sense economically as well since the Island needs land for green lung and people rather than Tigers.
I had an overseas friend recently for a holiday in Penang and one of her complaint was how difficult it is for a mother with a baby on a stroller to navigate through Penang’s tourist attractions due to poor pedestrian walkways and paths. But she was full of praise of Penang otherwise. So it is small things like walking paths for tourists that LGE needs to work on rather than grandoise and misguided projects. I am afraid his next great idea will be a casino…just watch..
BTW did anyone notice how LGE handled the resignation of his hopeless DCM1 ? He kept saying I am waiting for Anwar’s decision. The last I checked LGE is still the Penang CM and DCM1 reported to CM and not the advisor of PKR.
Once Fairus “resigned”, again LGE evaded responsibility saying it was internal PKR matter when asked about accusations against the ex-DCM. I am still waiting for LGE to own up his mistakes.
For someone who is so quick and hard on others, he should be equally open for criticims. His outburst and banning of the NST is worrying. Imagine if LGE is the PM of Malaysia. He might even ban all publications that are critical against him. I am seriously beginning to wonder if I did the right thing on March 8th.
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LGE’s biggest enemy is himself. He claims that he is the CM for all Penangites but he (appears to be) CM for the rich. If you have plenty of money you just propose to the CM no matter how crazy is your ideas as long as it is in the name of development…. So some fool come up with thois silly ideas of having a tiger park in Penang, he immediately comes up with an ideas of using eco-tourism to lure tourist to Penang to combat the current recession. What is LGE’s problem? He has no common sense? A development on hillslope with a gradient of over 60 degree he also can accept? I can gaurantee your guys that this CM can’t even last until next election with this sort of stupidity displayed.
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China Tiger Farms Lobby to Sell Animal Parts to Aid Conservation
Scott Norris
for National Geographic News
December 22, 2006
A controversial proposal to lift China’s 13-year domestic ban on trade in tiger parts has conservationists baring their teeth.
At issue is the sale of bones, organs, claws, fat, and blood from “farm-raised” tigers—an idea proponents say will help stem poaching of wild tigers.
Illegal trade in tiger parts for traditional medicine has been a major factor driving wild populations steeply downward. And wildlife protection groups say that poaching would only increase if China’s trade ban were to be lifted.
About a dozen privately owned, government-licensed tiger farms currently exist in China, most of them operated as tourist attractions.
The farms hold about 4,000 tigers. Conservationists and animal rights advocates have long criticized conditions on the farms and argued for their closure.
Farm operators say they can help with tiger conservation by legally selling products derived from captive tigers that die a natural death.
Flooding the market with farmed tiger parts, supporters say, would lower the profitability of poaching, thus reducing its occurrence.
Wildlife advocates maintain that the proposal is motivated by commerce, not conservation, and would likely spell doom for the last remaining wild tigers.
“China has taken excellent actions to enhance enforcement and to educate its public” about tiger conservation, said Sue Lieberman, Global Species Programme Director for the international conservation organization WWF.
“Any lifting of the ban would undermine efforts they have put in place over the last 16 years.”
Economic Solution?
Materials such as powdered tiger bone have long been used in traditional Chinese medicine and can fetch a high price.
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