JOHOR BARU, Oct 26 — Johor’s Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar sternly warned hunters and poachers to refrain from illegal activities that could threaten tigers and other wildlife in the state.

"This is my warning to all hunters, local or foreign, as well as to the Orang Asli — if they illegally hunt tigers or any other form of wildlife, then they in turn will be hunted.

"I want Perhilitan to increase their operations and patrols in Johor’s forests to combat and even eradicate illegal hunting,” he said in reference to the Malay name of the Department of Wildlife and National Parks.

He said this in a statement on his official Facebook page today that included a photo of two apparent white tigers at a river.

Sultan Ibrahim issued the warning following the discovery of four tigers, two of which were white, in the jungles of Sungai Sayong, Kota Tinggi recently.

The 60-year-old state monarch called on Perhilitan and other relevant enforcement agencies to intensify their operations and patrols to combat illegal wildlife hunting.

"The forests of Johor are rich in flora and fauna, and must always be preserved and taken care of,” said Sultan Ibrahim.

Poaching contributed to the drastic fall in the number of Malayan tigers in Peninsular Malaysia. There had been over 3,000 of the species in the wild in the 1950s, but fewer than 200 remain now.

In April, Water, Land and Natural Resources Minister Dr Xavier Jayakumar also announced that the proposed amendment to the Wildlife Conservation Act 2010 will increase the minimum penalty for poachers to a RM1 million fine and five years imprisonment.