GUA MUSANG: Seventeen families from Kampung Remau, Pos Bihai here had to leave their homes after spotting three adult Malayan tigers roaming around their farming plots and the village area last Friday (Dec 10).

       Gua Musang Orang Asli Development Department (JAKOA) officer Azman Ngadiron said the residents had moved to Kampung Tendrik in Pos Bihal since the tigers were spotted in the area.

       "There are a few families taking shelter in the community hall as well as the residences of family and friends for the time being fearing an attack by the wild animals.

       "We reported the sightings of the tigers, believed to be from one family, to the National Parks and Wildlife Department (Perhilitan) on Friday,” he told reporters here Monday (Dec 13).

       Azman added that all the Orang Asli residents from the Temiar tribe had also been given food assistance from JAKOA to ease their burden and hardship suffered because they had to move from their homes.

       "We also want to advise the residents around Kampung Remau to be careful and vigilant in carrying out daily activities and inform the relevant authorities if they spot the presence of the tigers.

       "The residents are also urged to clean up their plots and residential area to avoid overgrown bushes and shrubs that can provide a hiding place for the tigers before they attack human beings,” he said.

       The media previously had reported that Adin Andok, a 45-year-old Orang Asli from Kampung Badak, Pos Bihai, faced an anxious moment when he was attacked by a female tiger on July 4 in an orchard near the village. - Bernama