The critically endangered Indochinese tiger has been found in a national park in Eastern Thailand.
Camera traps discovered a small population of the tiger in the jungle, including six cubs. As of now, the extremely rare creature is believed to have a population of below 250, having already gone extinct in places like Cambodia. Tiger populations, including the Bengal and Siberian, have been dwindling in the past few decades due to loss of habitat, deforestation, and poaching.
Songtam Suksawang, the director of Thailand’s national parks, said:
“The stepping up of anti-poaching patrols and law enforcement efforts in this area have played a pivotal role in conserving the tiger population by ensuring a safe environment for them to breed.
anti-poaching patrols and law enforcement efforts…have played a pivotal role in conserving the tiger population
“However, we must remain vigilant and continue these efforts, because well-armed poachers still pose a major threat.”
Thailand enacted a mass deforestation effort back in the mid 1900’s which proved so critical that all logging was banned as early as the 1980s. However, the forests were still under threat due to illegal logging and hunting. Tiger populations suffered significantly, with just a handful remaining in places in Laos and Vietnam. Thailand was also one of the world’s first to introduce national parks. The parks now have two tiger breeding populations to celebrate, with hopes that in the decades to come, populations could reach a more stable level.
