PETALING JAYA: A national animal usually represents a country’s culture, history and identity with the animals sometimes being featured on national symbols such as the coat of arms or the national flag.
For example, Malaysia’s national animal is the Malayan tiger (Harimau Malaya), symbolising strength, confidence and victory and lending its name to the national football team.
However, what about mythical creatures, such as those from folklore? Are there countries that feature mythical animals as their national animal?
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TRUE
Scotland and Wales are two such countries, whose national animals are the unicorn and the red dragon, respectively.
Scotland, also known for the mysterious Loch Ness monster, the unicorn has been regarded as its national animal for many centuries, with many once believing it was a real creature.
In Celtic mythology, the unicorn is a symbol of purity and power. It also stands for bravery, strength and determination.
Its royal connection to the country is thought to stem from a medieval legend that only a king could hold a unicorn captive due to its strength — a legend encouraged by Scottish kings.
The unicorn has also featured in Scotland’s royal coat of arms since the 12th century.
Meanwhile, Wales’ national animal is the red dragon, or Y Ddraig Goch in Welsh, which also appears on the country’s national flag.
According to Welsh tradition, the red dragon appeared on a crest borne by the legendary King Arthur, whose father, Uthr Bendragon, had seen a dragon in the sky predicting his son would be king.
Legend has it that King Arthur and his men carried the flag into battle. Welsh poetry also describes heroes in battle as dragons.
Today, dragon statues can be seen in public buildings, government offices and conference centres in Wales, demonstrating how much the red dragon is cherished.
However, things are rather different when it comes to Malaysia’s Asian neighbours.
When it comes to Singapore, while it might seem like the Merlion is the island nation’s official animal, it does actually have a national animal.
The Merlion is merely Singapore’s national mascot.
In the case of the Merlion, the creature’s fish-like body symbolises Singapore’s origins as a fishing village known as Temasek – which has the the same root as the word “tasik” or “lake” in Bahasa Malaysia – while the statue’s head represents the city’s original name of Singapura, which means “lion city” in Sanskrit.
The Merlion became part of Singapore’s recognised identity since 1964, when its Tourist Board decided to use it to promote the country.
Aside from this, while other Asian countries have mythical creatures linked to them like Indonesia’s garuda, China‘s dragon and Bhutan’s druk or thunder dragon, they are not the respective countries’ official animals.
The national animals for Indonesia, China and Bhutan are the Komodo dragon, giant panda and the large cow-like Takin respectively.
And while these are indeed interesting facts, let’s not forget about our own national animal — the Malayan tiger.
With fewer than 150 in the wild, the species has been listed as critically endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List since 2015.
Various conservation efforts have been made to help this beautiful creature thrive, including the government setting aside RM200mil to expand and manage protected areas, including critical tiger habitats, as well as collaborations between the Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Ministry and relevant agencies.
As we celebrate National Day and Malaysia Day, we should do our best to protect Malayan tigers and ensure our national animal does not go extinct in our lifetime.
References:
https://www.thetravel.com/
https://www.discoverwildlife.
https://www.scotland.org/
https://www.historic-uk.com/
https://www.visitsingapore.
https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/
https://www.
https://www.thestar.com.my/
https://www.thestar.com.my/
