Orang Asli man mauled to death by tiger in Pos Pasik

GUA MUSANG: An Orang Asli man was found dead, with one of his legs missing and having animal scratch marks on his head and body in the Pos Pasik forest area here today, believed to have been mauled to death by a tiger.

Gua Musang district police chief Supt Sik Choon Foo when contacted said police received a report about a body a man found by villagers and the operation to bring back the body started this morning.

"Villagers found the body last night. Police have gone to the location to retrieve the body and send it to the hospital. It takes about two to three hours to go to the village and this also depends on weather conditions," he said.

Meanwhile, Orang Asli Village Security Development Committee chairman Mohd Sani Nahtiman said the victim, Pisie Amud, 25, from the Temiar tribe, was said to have not returned home to Kampung Sugi after going out fishing on Tuesday.

He said the villagers started looking for the victim after realising he was missing and found a motorcycle, camping equipment, and tiger footprints in several different locations along the hills around Kampung Perwer, near an oil palm plantation.

"At about 6 pm yesterday, 10 villagers and I rushed to the scene after being informed about the discovery of the body. Based on footprints, believed to be that of a tiger, three villagers and I walked 500 metres, following the trail left behind, before finding the victim's body," he told reporters in Kampung Perwer here today.

Mohd Sani said since 9 pm, 20 individuals kept a close watch over the body while waiting for police to arrive, since they were afraid that the tiger may return.

"At about 4 am, the striped tiger returned, possibly to take the body but the villagers set off firecrackers and made lots of noise to drive off the tiger," he added.

-- BERNAMA