Tigers don't bounce, they crouch

here's an old Malay proverb that goes "harimau mati meninggalkan belang, manusia mati meninggalkan nama", literally translated as "when a tiger dies, it leaves behind its stripes, when a person dies, he leaves behind his name".

On one hand, it's good to keep reminding ourselves that we should do good so that we would be remembered for all the good things after we are gone, you know, being remembered for leaving behind good name, the way tigers will always be remembered for having fiery stripes.

On the other hand, it's also a reminder for us not to appreciate good things only after they are dead and gone. Tigers are one of these good things that we need to preserve for many generations to come, insya Allah. For one, I would like the children and grandchildren of my children to be able to appreciate tigers the way my children do.

"Harimau mati meninggalkan tulang..."

Sumatran tiger skeleton as can be seen in Zoo Negara

How do my kids relate to tigers?
- One of the earliest sound-related stuff Huzaifah and Humaidi said was "roaarrr..." when they were showed the picture of a tiger or a lion, but I digress.
- One of Huzaifah's favorite cartoon character is Tigger from "Winnie the Pooh and Friends". Yes, the one who loves bouncing instead of crouching.
- One of Huzaifah's favorite snack which he brings to kindie  is "Kek Tiger" (Kraft's chocolate layer cake similar to the popular "Kek Apollo")
- Both Huzaifah and Humaidi love the "grrreat" Kellogg's Frosties. If I'm not mistaken, Huzaifah was the one who insisted on me picking up a box of Frosties as he chanted "nak tiger, nak tiger" because he was attracted to Tony the Tiger.
-When Humaidi was younger, he created a term for tigers (and lions), referring to them as 'ballu'. I'm quite jealous of tigers because my son had a word for them even before he started calling me and every other authoritative adults - his father, grandpa, grandma, even bibik, as 'abah'. He still calls me 'ayah', and only ocassionally 'ibu'. But he calls tigers - 'tiger', and ocassionally 'harimau' jadi semestinyalah ibu cemburu dengan harimau, ok?

"Tigers roaarrr"

Humaidi roaring excitedly in the tram at Zoo Negara

A long time ago when I was a young officer, I was sent to a rural kampung in Kuala Lipis as an 'anak angkat' of the Tok Empat of Kampung Lubuk Kulit. There were several other officers sent as 'anak angkat' at other villages in Kuala Lipis. One of our activities was to conduct a motivational camp for students in Sekolah Kebangsaan Lubuk Kulit. I remember prompting the young kids to roar "MAAUUUUU" like a tiger instead of shyly meowing "mawwu" like a kitten in asnwer to "Nak berjaya tak?" (do you want to succeed?) to emphasize that they must have passion in life. That they must be inspired and strong and courageous to move forward, to move ahead.

Ever wonder why so many kids opt to be face-painted as tigers in the zoo?

I want my kids to be able to get to know and appreciate the real tigers. You know, the admired ones for their strength, ferociousness, beauty. The type that crouch not merely the happy, bouncing type they see on Playhouse Disney channel. I want them to be able to appreciate why tigers symbolize all the great traits that they are often recognized for. I want them to be able to understand the significance of featuring tigers as part of our national emblem.

So yes, my kids and I'll roar "MAAUUUUU" to the call to "Save our tiger, Save our heritage".

Message from Planet of the Monyets, :

"The tiger is our national animal. Our heritage. But today only less than 500 of them remain in the wild. As Malaysians, we need to stand up and protect our heritage. Speak to your children. Speak to your leaders. Everyone of us can make a difference.

For further information, please visit
MYCAT (http://www.malayantiger.net/) ,
WWF Malaysia (http://www.wwf.org.my/)
Department of Wildlife & National Parks (http://www.wildlife.gov.my/) "