Fancy a tiger park in Penang? I think it's a bad idea.First, there are no tigers on the island. This can't be their natural habitat. By introducing a foreign predator into our territory, we risk displacing our local animal population which will come under threat from a new predator. We'll be creating a new ecological imbalance. History is full of such instances.
Second, we'll need lots of free space for tigers to roam. The island does not have this space and can ill afford to allocate one big enough for tigers. A 40-hectare plot called Pondok Durian Cap Kaki owned by the Penang Island Municipal Council has been identified for the park. Come on... one hectare is the size of a piece of square land measuring just 100 metres by 100 metres. One hundred metres is the distance covered by Usain Bolt in 9.69 seconds. Forty hectares is just 40 times the size of this small piece of land. How many tigers do you hope to have roaming in a park of this size? How much space does a tiger need?
Third, security. What's the assurance that the tigers do not stray outside the park and endanger human lives? They are not little cats, you know. They are BIG ONES. Fourth, expertise. I don't see any tiger taming experts in Penang, do you? If there is none, where are you going to employ them from? Advertise the post in the online recruitment companies? Be real. Fifth, money. Show me the money! Where's it coming from to support such an ambitious project? And last, if tigers are free to roam about within this enclosed park, how on earth are visitors going to see them, if they are meant to be for eco-tourism?
"Wow" factor? Yes, wow, what a lulu of an idea. Ranks on par with the aborted Kings Of Tennis fiasco at the Esplanade.
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