Kuala Lumpur, Nov 4 : An action plan has been mooted to save the critical endangered Malaysian tiger that numbers less than 500.

Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said the country could not afford to lose the Malayan tiger as it was a unique sub-species.

The plan's adoption by the National Biodiversity-Biotechnology Council was made with the aim of not only protecting the near-extinct sub-species but also to increase its population to about 1,000 by 2020.

According to official records, the tiger population was estimated at 3,000 in the 1950s but current figures showed a drastic drop to between 450 and 500 only.

"We will take concrete efforts to protect tigers including through conservation efforts. The aim is also to widen the area where wildlife is protected," the minister said while chairing the council's sixth meeting Wednesday, Star Online reported.(IANS)