The remarkable "discovery" of the Malayan Tiger's diversity from its northern cousin was greeted warmly in Malaysia, as one would expect. However, a debate has begun over the scientific naming of the Malayan Tiger. Researchers had proposed a name to recognize the Peter Jackson's work with big cats: Panthera tigris jacksonii.
However, the Malaysian Association of Zoological Parks and Aquaria (MAZPA) and, subsequently, the Government of Malaysia have petitioned that Malaysia should have been consulted over the naming of its own icon and that the tiger be named after its geographical region. In Malaysia, therefore, the Malayan Tiger is known as Panthera tigris malayensis.
As a recently as the 1950s, bounties were still awarded by the Malaysian Government for dead tigers. In 1955, however, the tiger was upgraded from a pest to a game species. Regardless, hunting of tigers continued to be legal, although hunters would have to apply for applicable licenses. In 1976, tigers were elevated to a totally protected species under the Protection of Wildlife Act, 1972, which prescribes monetary fines and jail-term sentences for unauthorized shooting, killing and/or trade in tigers, in whole or in parts. Between 1970 and 1993, for instance, South Korea imported nearly 9,000 kg of tiger bones, representing an equivalent to 700-900 tigers.
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