Thailand stands as the final stronghold for the Indochinese tiger following its disappearance from neighbouring Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam due to poaching, habitat destruction and indiscriminate snaring. The illegal trade in tiger skins, bones, and other body parts, driven by the demand in traditional medicine markets in China and Vietnam, remains the primary threat to these magnificent creatures.
With less than 200 tigers estimated to remain in Thailand's protected areas, the survival of these big cats depends on well-managed sanctuaries. The most important of these protected areas for tigers is the Huai Kha Khaeng Thung Yai (HKK-TY) UNESCO World Heritage Site.
A recent study published in Global Ecology and Conservation reveals a significant recovery within the HKK-TY reserves, which have been under close surveillance since 2007. The latest survey, concluding in November 2023, recorded 94 individual tigers, a notable increase from 75 the previous year and fewer than 40 in 2007.
The camera traps in HKK-TY have captured heartening footage of thriving tiger families. One memorable scene showed a mother tiger and her three grown cubs enjoying a watering hole, a sign of their robust health and stable environment.
Anak Pattanavibool, study co-author and Thailand country director at the Wildlife Conservation Society, attributes this achievement to effective and sustained conservation efforts. Enhanced ranger patrols to control poaching and initiatives to increase prey populations seemed to be working.
While there have been isolated incidents of poaching outside the core protected areas, no tiger poaching has been detected within the HKK-TY reserves since 2013.Maintaining effective law enforcement and protection systems is crucial to prevent a recurrence oprevious challenges.
"The key is to uphold the quality of our protection efforts. Any lapse could lead to renewed poaching and a reversal of our hard-won progress," Anak told Mongabay.
This success story highlights the crucial role of conservation and offers hope for the Indochinese tiger (Panthera tigris corbetti), once near extinction in its native region.
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