Ang was reported as telling the magistrate's court in northern Kelantan state that he had no idea he had a dead tiger in his house.
"I got home from a wedding and the next thing I knew the tiger was in my refrigerator," he said. His father paid the fine.
Under Malaysian laws, Ang could have been fined up to 15,000 ringgit ($3,974) or jailed for up to five years.
Environmentalist Eugene Lee with Traffic Southeast Asia said changes needed to be made to existing laws to halt illegal hunting and the trade in protected species.
"Restaurant operators are smart. They will store the tiger meat in their own homes before they get an order. They do not keep it on the premises where it could become evidence," he added.
Police last week arrested Ang after finding the tiger's butchered remains in his home in Kelantan state during a raid following a tip off.
The five-year-old tiger, which weighed 150 kilograms (331 pounds), had been caught using a wire snare and repeatedly shot in the left shoulder before being cut into four parts.
Authorities believe there are fewer than 100 Malayan tigers left in Kelantan.
Tigers are highly sought after for their meat in many parts of Asia and body parts are used as aphrodisiacs and medicines.
WWF-Malaysia estimates there are fewer than 500 tigers left in peninsular Malaysia, as opposed to around 5,000 in the 1950s.
Name: Malayan Tiger (
Panthera tigris malayensis)
Primary Classification: Felidae (Cats)
Location: Malaysia
Habitat: Tropical forest and grassland
Diet: Deer, antelope, wild pig and water buffalo
Size: Up to 9 feet in length and 400 lbs in weight
Description: Dark reddish-orange coat; thin black, vertical stripes; white underside, cheeks and eye areas; muscular body; long, sensitive whiskers; long legs with sharp, retractable claws; long tail
Cool Facts: After a year of extensive DNA testing, scientists classified it as the ninth tiger subspecies in 2004. It is one of the most endangered animals in the world, with less than 600 left in the wild.
Conservation Status: Critically Endangered
Major Threat(s): Poaching and habitat loss
What Can I Do?: Visit
The Malayan Tiger,
The Tiger Foundation and
Global Tiger Patrol
for information on how you can help.
