A tiger cub rescued from a restaurant cooking pot only to go missing from a zoo has been found safe and well, the zoo's director said on today.

The fortunes of the three-month-old cub, named Nicky, have captivated Malaysians since it was revealed that a good samaritan rescued it from a Chinese restaurant in Pahang where it was destined to be butchered.

The scrawny tiger was handed over to a zoo in Malacca, where it was being carefully nursed back to health, but mysteriously went missing on yesterday, only to be discovered a day later within the compound.

"We found the cub this morning. It is in good health and looked as if it has been fed well," said zoo director Mohamad Nawayai.

"I suspect someone had taken the tiger and after the extensive media reporting about the missing cub, the individual or individuals returned the tiger," he told AFP .

New security measures

Nawayai said the zoo, which was criticised in the media for losing the animal, has introduced new security measures to prevent a repeat of the incident.

"We are glad we have Nicky back. We thank the public for the support," he said.

Nawayai said there were only about 500 of the endangered animals living in the wild in Malaysia and that numbers are continuing to fall. Wildlife officials say tiger poaching is rife in Malaysia.

Nicky was originally rescued by SH Foo, Malaysia's Trade Commissioner to Papua New Guinea. Media reports said he paid more than RM10,000 to the restaurant to save it from the cooking pot.