After a tiger was spotted on Oct 22 in a village in Perak, Malaysians racked their brains for jokes rather than safety precautions.

“The price of chickens now is expensive,” said a comment on TikTok, referencing the Malaysian government’s decision to end subsidies and price controls on chicken from Nov 1.

“The tiger could not afford to buy them, that’s why it has to look for free ones.”

“Please dress the livestock in safety jackets to avoid being attacked by the tiger,” wrote another user on TikTok, while others said they should send their former partners and the country’s ministers to the area.

Hilarious responses were provided on the question of what to do if one comes face to face with the big cat.

“What else to do, run for your life,” wrote a netizen, while another advised that footwear like slippers should be removed for extra speed.

The tiger was sighted at Kampung Sahom in Kampar district, about 175km from Kuala Lumpur. The village, dotted with wooden and concrete single-storey houses, is near a forest reserve.

Tourists visiting the Pos Kuala Mu village in Sungai Siput, a town in Kampar about 30km north of Ipoh, have been cautioned that tigers could be roaming nearby, news agency Bernama reported on Wednesday.

The village chief of Bersah in Kuala Mu advised visitors to enter the indigenous people’s village by car instead of motorcycles, for their safety.

“For now, the area remains open to tourists and, in fact, all the chalets have been booked, especially for the weekend. The reported tiger sightings are about 10km away from these chalets,” Mr Hadu Longhe said when contacted by Bernama.

He also said the police have been monitoring the situation, while village officials and local residents are continuously keeping an eye on developments.

Kampar Information Department has deployed a van with a loudhailer mounted on its roof to go around the village telling residents the dos and don’ts, including keeping their smallholdings tidy and ensuring livestock are kept in their pens.

Eight other nearby locations also received similar alerts.

To determine where the tiger is, the Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) has set up cameras in places where it was spotted.

“The tiger may have wandered off while looking for food since the number of wild boars near the area has decreased due to the African swine fever outbreak,” Malay daily Kosmo quoted Perak Perhilitan chief Yusoff Shariff as saying.

The department also advised residents to follow the authorities’ instructions to ensure everyone remained safe while minimising disruptions to their daily lives.