THAILAND FIRST COUNTRY IN SOUTHEAST ASIA TO INCREASE IT’S WILD TIGER POPULATION

By adopting a tiger today, you could help tackle the daily dangers they face, track their populations and conserve their beautiful, fragile habitats, ensuring they have the environment they need to thrive.

This year's Global Tiger Day is one for the history books. The Royal Thai Government has announced that the country’s national wild tiger population is increasing. Decades of poaching and forest loss had caused Thailand’s wild tiger population to decrease, but after years of concerted conservation efforts wild tiger populations have been stable for a number of years at 148-189. The latest population estimate, released by the Royal Thai Government, is between 179-223.

This increase marks a significant turn in the tide for tigers in Southeast Asia. Most wild tiger populations in the region are in decline and more concerningly tigers have gone extinct in Cambodia, Laos, and Viet Nam in the last 25 years.

Thailand’s tiger conservation story

There have been promising signs of tiger recovery in Thailand over the last few years. In 2021, a tigress was recorded on wildlife monitoring sensor cameras dragging her kill, a gaur, into the bushes. A scene rarely recorded.

“Over the last three years, The Royal Thai Government, supported by WWF-Thailand, has released over 100 sambar deer into tiger recovery areas in the Western Forest Complex, with more planned in coming years. In addition, conservation efforts to increase Thailand’s banteng population, a species of wild cattle listed as Endangered, have also been successful with some early signs of population increases and range expansion in some well managed protected areas. WWF-Thailand recently initiated the development of a national banteng assessment and recovery plan in collaboration with the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, and the Faculty of Forestry. The more we can support tiger prey, the better supported our national tiger population will be,” explains Dr Rungnapa Phoonjampa, Western Forest & Mae Ping Wildlife Program Director at WWF-Thailand.

Having enough tiger prey is critical to enable further increases and recovery of tigers and The Royal Thai Government, supported by partners such as WWF-Thailand, has been working to increase the number of tiger prey in Thailand.

Examples of tiger population recovery are many. In 2023, a tigress with three cubs was documented by a sensor camera. The young family became a symbol of hope for conservationists in the country. Fast forward a year and conservationists couldn’t believe their eyes. Sensor cameras had confirmed that the tigress’s cubs had left her and were establishing their own territory. Then less than a year later, the same tigress was recorded on a sensor camera with three new cubs.

“A number of years ago this scenario of a tigress successfully breeding and rearing two sequential large litters of cubs simply wouldn’t have happened. Up until recent years, tigers and their prey have been severely threatened by poachers. But our government has really stepped up anti-poaching patrol teams across our national parks and wildlife sanctuaries which has had a positive impact on wildlife. The presence of rangers helps to deter poachers, and with the help of innovative wildlife monitoring tools such as SMART, it’s possible to monitor and prevent poaching hot spots. This means tigers have a much higher chance of survival in our forests, and we are seeing rare scenarios like the tigress who has had two sets of three cubs so close together,” continues Dr Rungnapa.

But poaching is only one part of the illegal trade of tigers. Jedsada Taweekan, Regional Illegal Wildlife Trade Program Manager at WWF-Thailand explains, “Thailand has the largest population of captive tigers in Southeast Asia. Captive tigers enter the illegal wildlife trade from captive facilities which fuels the demand for tigers, their parts and products, as well as undermining the conservation efforts to protect tigers in the wild. Tiger parts and products leak across our borders and contribute to the problem of illegal trade elsewhere in the region.

WWF-Thailand is partnering with the Department of National Parks, Wildlife, and Plant Conservation to establish a national DNA database for captive tigers with the goal to strengthen cases of wild tigers being “laundered” into captive facilities and entering illegal trade. Updated forensic techniques will help law enforcement use forensic analysis in prosecutions and lead to better convictions commensurate with the crimes."

While it’s crucial tigers are protected from poachers, it’s also critical they have the right conditions to survive across their landscapes. Historic logging has also led to the degradation of Thailand’s tiger landscapes and WWF-Thailand has been working to improve the forests and grasslands for tigers and their prey. “Grasslands might not seem like much to the eye but they are essential to key tiger prey species such as sambar deer and banteng. We’ve been improving grassland habitat across our tiger landscapes, which involves replanting grasses and protecting them from being destroyed. These are important sources of minerals, such as magnesium and salt, for ungulates that can’t be accessed through their plant diet,” shares Michael Roy, Conservation Director, at WWF-Thailand.

A future for tigers in Thailand

Thailand is a beacon of hope for tiger recovery in Southeast Asia. Further increases in the nation’s wild tiger population could lead to tigers naturally dispersing to places they were once lost from in Thailand, and significantly the prospect that in decades to come tigers could move from northern Thailand to Laos, a country where wild tigers are extinct and who are working to restore their tiger landscapes.

Symbolically adopting a tiger today can help protect them from extinction. Your monthly donations will symbolise your support for conservation and animal advocacy, and ensure tigers remain part of our environment forever.