THEY dropped to the floor, froze and later danced with gusto for the Malayan tigers. In a tiger-themed flash mob on 30 July 2010 called Freeze Tiger Trade, people from all walks of life surprised patrons at the Pavilion Kuala Lumpur shopping mall with two enthusiastic displays of a flash mob.
Only 500 Malayan tigers are believed to roam Malaysia’s forests, down from 3,000 some 50 years ago. The initial drop in the number of tigers was primarily due to large-scale loss of habitat. In more recent times, the most urgent threats are poaching for body parts, persecution by angry villagers, and starvation. Tiger conservationists say we will need to double the existing tiger population in 10 years for the species to get back to a sustainable level.
In a bid to spread awareness on tiger conservation efforts, WWF-Malaysia spearheaded the 30 July flash mob in conjunction with World Tiger Day, which falls on 29 July. It is one of many events organised in 2010 to raise awareness on the plight of the Malayan tiger. 2010 is the Year of the Tiger in the Chinese zodiac.
WWF-Malaysia’s executive director and chief executive director Datuk Dr Dionysius Sharma said the flash mob was done to show support for the Malaysian government to declare at the upcoming September Tiger Summit an end to all tiger trade by stepping up enforcement and habitat protection.
“[This would help] double tiger numbers by the next Year of the Tiger (in 2022),” he said in a statement.
All photos and caption information are courtesy of WWF-Malaysia. 
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