Let us imagine that tigers can talk. They heard that Kelantan Menteri Besar Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat wants to destroy them and are replying to him...

We have been living in our Kelantan habitat for ages and our life was one happy season of hunting, lazing, mating.

We have been roaming the lush jungles without any fear, for we had plenty of food to eat. We always moved in our own environment, enjoying immensely the company of our brothers and sisters.

When it was makan (meal) time, we were sure to get what we wanted. In the animal kingdom, we follow the laws of the jungle, which simply means we kill our prey of our own kind and of our own choosing.

But we knew there were strange creatures living outside of our world, with whom we sometimes came into contact. But we never disturbed them.

These creatures belong to a higher order. They have better brains than us and can invent and reinvent the world according to their whims and fancies.

With the passage of time we ran into difficulties. We crossed paths with these intelligent species very often with disastrous results for us. They became more aggressive. They started to organise hunting parties where we became trophies on their walls and floors.

The winds of ill-feeling blew so strong that our survival became precarious. Our habitat began to shrink from the relentless onslaught of greed, callousness and perverted pleasures.

Now, we are a dwindling number. We tried to flee deeper into the jungle but still there was no cover, no food for us. These brutes — swift of tongue, deceptive of mind, black of heart — showed us no mercy.

Occasionally, some of our brothers became so desperate that they sank their teeth into the flesh of the invaders. Although out-numbered, our elders told us that we have to stand our ground and repel the intruders.

Please, do not call us man-eaters. We do not make meals out of the intruders. We sometimes take the law into our own hands because we have to defend our habitat.

We are feared creatures but let me tell you that we fear the two-legged beasts more. They have developed skills at maiming and killing which we can never rival. Our animal kingdom is ravaged by them.

Now, we hear a certain leader (whom we also consider our protector) baying for our blood. He is planning a diabolical campaign to get rid of everyone of us.

When we heard his clarion call — "People of Kelantan rise up! You have nothing to lose but your tigers" — we shuddered.

Do we have the numbers to fight back? Can we repulsethis army of intruders armed to the teeth? War has been declared on us and who do we turn to for help?

One of our elders told us that in many parts of the world rivers of blood are flowing as a result of acts of inhumanity.

We heard words like genocide, massacre, ethnic-cleansing that strike fear into our hearts. And now is added "tiger-cleansing". Very soon we will become victims of this horrible appetite for shedding blood.

We cannot shout "tigers of the world unite!" We are no match against our enemies. We cannot appeal to the United Nations to send us a protection force because our kind is considered everywhere a fair game for annihilation.

We in Kelantan can only make an appeal. Our cry is for justice too. We meant no harm to others. We are simple creatures who want to live our lives our way without being disturbed by the march of disturbing events.

All we ask for is for a piece of ground we can call our home.