RARE FOOTAGE OF TIGRESS WITH THREE CUBS RENEWS HOPE IN THAILAND

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Originally published by Tx2 here. This incredible footage of a tigress and her three cubs was recorded in Western Thailand last year. We asked Dr Rungnapa Phoonjampa, WWF-Thailand’s Senior Project Manager and recent recipient of WWF’s Dr Rimington Award for her contribution to tiger conservation, why this video clip is significant.

“I’ve seen many sensor camera videos of tigers, but this one really stands out, it’s beautiful."

With only 148-189 tigers in the whole of Thailand in 2022, it’s rare to film tigers, and it’s even rarer to see a tigress with three well-developed cubs. The breeding population in Thailand occurs only in the Western Forest Complex and Dong Phayayen-Khao Yai Forest Complex, and while tiger populations are stable in the country, they’re still worryingly low, making them vulnerable to poaching and prey depletion. 

"This rare footage of a mother with her three cubs reflects the ambition for tiger recovery in Thailand's Upper Western Forest Complex. Many people are giving their time and effort into protecting Thailand’s tigers, such as the dedicated ranger teams and conservationists, and it’s so rewarding to see this kind of video. It motivates us to keep going!”

WWF-Thailand is collaborating with the Department of National Parks, focusing the work in four main areas to ensure tiger recovery in the country:

• Conduct long-term tiger and prey monitoring systems.
• Support SMART patrol system: ranger capacity building and increase patrolling efficiency.
• Habitat improvement and prey augmentation.
• Strengthen conservation education and raise more awareness.

This is one of a number of videos and photos that have been captured over the last few years in Thailand’s national parks that have excited tiger conservationists. Sensor camera photos of banteng, an endangered wild cattle and tiger prey revealed they were returning to Mae Wong National Park thanks to conservation efforts after disappearing from the protected area in the 1970s due to loggers and poachers. Tiger prey populations are fairly low across Thailand, and work is underway to increase populations of animals such as sambar deer.

Another sensor camera recording revealed footage of a tigress that had dispersed from a high-density population to another protected area with a low density in the Western Forest Complex.

The presence of this new female tiger raised the prospects of new cubs and an increase in tiger population. It also demonstrates the importance of long-term tiger monitoring as well as collaboration and information sharing between protected areas.

This new video is another piece of evidence that shows why we need to continue protecting the tiger landscapes in Thailand and that conservation efforts are working. WWF, along with many others, hope to see more footage like this in the future.

Time is running out for tigers. These endangered big cats desperately need our help, or we’ll soon lose them forever.

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