All risks considered, what makes being a ranger so rewarding? 

If it was not for this job, I would not be able to further explore and learn more about the exquisite Belum-Temenggor forest complex, its mysteries, and unexplored secrets. As a wildlife enthusiast myself, I am very grateful for the opportunity to witness and observe a variety of wildlife species such as the tiger, gaur, wild boar, serow and pangolins. Some of these animals are rare and hard to be sighted so I consider myself lucky to be part of the selected few to run into these amazing and majestic species in the course of my duty.

Why is this project important to protect the wildlife in our forests?

Our forests are home to some of the most diverse ecosystems. As human beings who have higher intelligence than animals, it is our duty to protect them especially the vulnerable species. Poaching has driven the extinction of many animal species. Ecosystems are interdependent and when we lose one species, we would often lose another soon after, like a chain reaction. We are highly concerned about the dwindling tiger population and this project is just what we need to ensure the tigers don’t disappear from Royal Belum forever.

We can already see the impact of anti-poaching initiatives here. Back in 2017 and 2018, there were hundreds of snares found each year in Royal Belum but last year we only found three, despite much intensive and extensive patrol coverage. We believe that our actions have frustrated the poachers who mainly come from Indochina countries. They have been wary of our presence and as a result, had cut down on their activities and syndicates.
  
What is your opinion on the current wildlife protection efforts?

Effective wildlife protection requires a collective effort from all relevant parties. We need regional, national, and global involvement. The non-governmental organisations (NGOs) for instance, can only do so much. Poachers and syndicate leaders may feel the current laws and penalties are not so serious which means they are not strong enough deterrents.

We must all be committed and responsible in the fight against poachers. Collaborative efforts by PERHILITAN and the police in ‘ops Khazanah’ for example, are helping to curb poaching syndicates at the national level. From PSPC’s point of view, we can definitely intensify our efforts, but we can’t act beyond the State Park’s boundaries. Therefore, initiatives for anti-poaching and anti-illegal wildlife trade at higher levels are more crucial.

If the wildlife continues to be threatened, what will happen to the Orang Asli communities in the forests?

Most of the Orang Asli communities live near or within the forested area and rely heavily on subsistence activities which include farming, hunting, and collecting the forests’ resources. For instance, the Royal Belum is not only one of Malaysia’s most important preserved forest areas but also home to the Orang Asli of the Jahai tribe. Any form of threat to the environment is a threat to the community itself. In my community, we believe that nature must be treated with respect and we can only take from it only what we need as subsistence and not more.

Our traditions prohibit us from killing animals unless it is to feed ourselves. For example, when we want to eat a deer, then we would only hunt for this animal and no other kind. Over-exploiting or disrespecting nature and other creatures will lead to many undesirable consequences. We saw it happen before — due to overfishing, there were way fewer fish to catch in our river. Our ancestors taught us to hunt only for food but nowadays, many have chosen to sell what they catch or hunt. Thankfully, the communities here are aware that conservation is very important for everyone and so many only fish once a year.

What are your hopes for Royal Belum and its sustainability?

I believe that more need to be done consistently to make sure that our children and younger generations could live harmoniously with the flora and fauna of Royal Belum like their forefathers and generations before them. I really wish that more efforts could be put in place to ensure that the local communities are well educated about environment protection. This is the reason why I started a team to raise awareness on the importance of wildlife conservation among our community. I also hope more of us could be actively involved in conservation initiatives so that we can take care of this land we call our home.