Nestled within the opulent Atrium of The Starhill in Bukit Bintang, the ‘Eye On The Tiger’ exhibition celebrates the majesty of the tiger while sounding an alarm for its precarious existence. Brought to life by the UK-based conservation initiative, Save Wild Tigers, and committed supporter YTL, the exhibition made its debut in Malaysia after a triumphant showcase at London’s iconic Royal Albert Hall. This exhibition is now ongoing at The Starhill until 8 October 2023, and will move to Lot 10 from 9 October to 22 October 2023.
A visual treat featuring more than 60 striking images captured by more than 30 award-winning photojournalists and photographers, the exhibition includes work by luminaries such as Steve Winter, Paul Hilton, and Jami Tarris.
If some images seem familiar, it’s because they have leapt from the pages of magazines such as National Geographic and Newsweek. On display, nothing prepares you for the raw emotion stirred by the gentle gaze of a Bengal tiger caught at its most vulnerable by Elliott Neep; or the visceral nature of two Bengals enrapt in a dangerous dance with one another, nostrils flared, teeth bared as immortalised by Anup Sha. These may be the culmination of months of tracking, relentless patience and a lucky break, as epitomised by Toshiji Fukuda’s 50-day vigil in Russia’s frigid winter snows to capture an elusive Amur tiger.
The Malayan tiger, teetering on the brink of extinction, is poignantly represented by Malaysian photographers Sanjitpaal Singh and S. C. Shekhar. Shekhar’s evocative images were shot 35 years ago—long before the advent of digital cameras, in the now-vanished forest of Jerantut in Pahang—and stand out as the exhibition’s pièce de résistance.
With a dwindling global population of approximately 5,000 wild tigers and fewer than 100 Malayan tigers, the exhibition underscores the urgency to protect these magnificent creatures.
Hunted for their skins, bones and parts, and threatened by habitat loss, human-animal conflict and now canine distemper virus, tigers have long been considered as the national symbol of strength and courage. But Malaysia would lose more than these icons should the Malayan tiger perish. As apex predators, their loss would disrupt the delicate balance of our ecosystem, leading to catastrophic consequences for biodiversity and humanity alike.
The launch, hosted by Elaine Daly and opened by Ruth Yeoh, Executive Director of YTL Group, brought together personalities from the conservation and creative realms. His Royal Highness, The Regent of Pahang Tengku Hassanal Ibrahim Alam Shah attended a private viewing of the exhibition the following day.
“We do not want this to be the only lasting record they ever existed on our precious planet,” said Simon Clinton, founder of Save Wild Tigers, of wild tigers in a poignant reminder of the stakes involved.
For art aficionados, wildlife enthusiasts and those born in the year of the tiger, the exhibition offers a unique opportunity to make a tangible difference. All exhibited images are up for sale, with proceeds benefiting Save Wild Tigers and its Malaysian conservation partners, The Habitat Foundation and RIMAU, who work on wildlife protection in Pahang’s Al-Sultan Abdullah Royal Tiger Reserve and Royal Belum State Park in Perak respectively.
‘Eye On The Tiger’ is not just an exhibition, it’s a clarion call. It runs at The Starhill until 8 October 2023 and moves to Lot 10 from 9 October to 22 October 2023.
