Media Prima Launches Conservation Campaign To Save Malayan Tigers

PETALING JAYA, 8 August 2014 – A nationwide fundraising campaign to save our national icon, the Malayan tiger from extinction entitled “Tabung Selamatkan Harimau Malaya Kita” was launched by Media Prima Berhad (“Media Prima”), Malaysia’s leading fully-integrated media investment group and World Wide Fund for Nature Malaysia’s (WWF-Malaysia) today.

The campaign launch was officiated at a high performance school Sekolah Kebangsaan Taman Megah, Petaling Jaya by Ms. Shareen Ooi, Group Chief Marketing Officer of Media Prima. This is Media Prima’s first CSR campaign that aims to raise funds as well as increase awareness on wildlife conservation, after realizing the diminishing numbers of tigers in Malaysia.

According to Ms. Shareen Ooi, Group Chief Marketing Officer of Media Prima, “People are aware that we have tigers in our forests. However, most of them do not realise that the number of tigers are dwindling as they are under severe poaching pressure. Tigers are being killed for their body parts due to illegal wildlife trade and we have to do something quickly to save our national icon before it is too late.”

“The donations raised from this fund-raising campaign will be used to support the WWF-Malaysia tiger conservation work in the northern Banjaran Titiwangsa range, including the Belum-Temengor forest complex in Perak,” Shareen added.

“It has been estimated that globally there are only 3,200 tigers left. Tigers have recently been poached out from other Southeast Asian countries such as Cambodia and Vietnam, so we need to do something before the same situation occurs here. As a global network, WWF has the expertise to come up with concrete solutions, and we are hopeful that the funds raised through Media Prima’s campaign will enable us to step up our conservation efforts, ” said WWF-Malaysia’s Executive Director/CEO, Dato’ Dr Dionysius Sharma.

In addition to that, WWF-Malaysia’s Lead Research Scientist for their Peninsular Malaysia Species Conservation Programme, Dr. Mark Rayan Darmaraj said “It is time for us to realize and acknowledge as a nation that we are currently faced with a poaching crisis which is leading to the localized extinction of many endangered species. Do we want the symbol on our Jata Negara to be next on the list? We still have a chance to save the Malayan tiger, but we need to act now”.

“WWF-Malaysia’s tiger conservation programme is aimed at developing long-term measures to improve the protection and management of tiger habitats by carrying out anti-poaching patrols, conducting scientific monitoring of tigers and their prey, raising awareness through community engagement and educational programmes, ensuring forest connectivity, as well as monitoring land-use changes within the priority area. In essence, our project therefore, contributes towards the implementation of some of the key actions within the National Tiger Action Plan, a government strategy outlining the steps to be taken to ensure the long-term survival of tigers in the wild. In order to achieve this ultimate goal, WWF-Malaysia works closely with Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (NRE), Department of Wildlife and National Parks (PERHILITAN) and Forestry Department of Peninsular Malaysia,” Dr. Rayan added.

With the commencement of this campaign, we appeal to generous and caring Malaysians to help save the Malayan tigers from being wiped out. Contributions by individuals and organizations can be channeled to Maybank account number 5642 7651 6761under the name “Tabung Selamatkan Harimau Malaya Kita” via the following methods; Maybank2u.com

• Fund Transfer via ATM and Phone Banking KawanKu
• Cash Deposit Machine Maybank
• Cheque Deposit Machine Maybank
• Maybank counters
• Deliver cheque on the name “Tabung Selamatkan Harimau Malaya Kita” to:

Group Corporate Communications Department, Media Prima Berhad at Level 1, Anjung Riong, Balai Berita, 31 Jalan Riong, 59100 Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur.

or visit:

• WWF-Malaysia Online Donation page: http://pandashop.my/SOMTF/

For corporate donations, kindly contact WWF-Malaysia’s Corporate Relations Unit for further details:

[email protected] or +(6)03 7450 3773 (ext. 6307/6308)

For more information on WWF-Malaysia’s tiger conservation efforts, kindly visit WWF-Malaysia’s tiger website: http://www.wwf.org.my/about_wwf/what_we_do/species_main/tiger/

or contact:

Siti Safiah Md Zainudin (Tiger Conservation Programme Communications Officer) at [email protected] or +(6)012- 537 7939

For further information, please contact:

Media Prima Berhad at: 603- 1300 300 672 Ext: 8949 or 03 – 2724 8949

Azlan Abdul Aziz at [email protected]/ or 60126140522

www.mediaprima.com.my/http://twitter.com/MPBtalk

About Media Prima

Media Prima Berhad (Media Prima), a company listed on the Main Market of Bursa Malaysia, is Malaysia’s leading fully-integrated media group. The Group is also one of Malaysia’s Top 100 largest listed companies by revenue.

The Group has equity interests in TV3, 8TV, ntv7 and TV9. In addition, the Group also owns more than 98 percent equity interest in The New Straits Times Press (Malaysia) Berhad (NSTP), Malaysia’s largest publisher with three national newspapers; New Straits Times, Berita Harian and Harian Metro.

The Group has strong online presence through its digital media subsidiary, Media Prima Digital, via the entertainment portal gua.com.my, women’s lifestyle portal seroja.com.my and tonton.com.my, the No. 1 Malaysian video portal with HD-ready quality viewing experience that offers the individualism of customised content and interactivity of social networking, which now has close to 4 million registered users.

Emas is the first classic channel in Malaysia showcasing Media Prima’s production of popular TV programmes and is available on platforms such as HyppTV and ABN.  The Group also owns three radio stations, Fly Fm, Hot FM and one FM.

The Group’s leadership position in the Out-of-Home Advertising business is represented by Big Tree Outdoor Sdn. Bhd., UPD Sdn. Bhd., The Right Channel Sdn. Bhd., Kurnia Outdoor Sdn. Bhd. and Jupiter Outdoor Network Sdn. Bhd.

The Group also owns a content creation subsidiary, Primeworks Studios Sdn Bhd, Malaysia’s largest production company, producing TV content and feature films since 1984 and 1994 respectively.