Boy climbs trees to escape tiger

Boy climbs trees to escape tiger

KUALA LUMPUR (AP): A boy sought refuge up a rubber tree after
spotting a tiger lurking in bushes on a plantation that has been
plagued by several recent tiger attacks on livestock.

Mohamad Sakril Hafiz Said, 15, was helping his father at the
plantation near Grik, 360 kilometers (220 miles) north of Kuala
Lumpur, when he heard a strange noise and saw the tiger, the New
Straits Times newspaper reported on Tuesday.

"I shouted to my father and ran quickly to the nearest tree
and climbed it," Mohamad was quoted as saying.

He was trapped for an hour on Monday while the beast waited
for him to come down. His father, Said Saat, 41, brought back
armed villagers. One fired a shot in the air and frightened the
animal away.

The spread of oil palm and rubber plantations encroaching
Malaysia's forest jungles have depleted prey and pushed tigers to
forest fringes, increasing contacts and conflicts with man in
recent years.

About 500 tigers remain in Malaysian jungles, about 10 percent
of the rapidly decreasing world population. Hunting tigers is
legally prohibited, but wildlife officials shoot down animals
that attack humans.

At least one man was killed by a tiger in northern Malaysia
last year.