A trio of tigers, suspected to roam between Thailand and Myanmar, has been found in the forests of Chumphon province. The discovery was made last Friday in the Tanao Sri Mountain Range, which acts as the boundary between the two nations.
The three big cats are believed to patrol the Duang Charoen, Nern Thong, and Chong Kamew forests in the Song Pee Noing subdistrict of the Ta Sae district. Ongoing surveillance by the Department of National Parks, Wildlife, and Plant Conservation (DNP) indicates that these tigers regularly cross the Thailand-Myanmar border.
This revelation stems from a joint investigation conducted by the DNP and the Freeland Foundation, an anti-trafficking organization based in Bangkok. The study focused on tiger populations within the Tanao Sri Mountain Range, covering areas along the Thai border and Lenya National Park on the Myanmar side.
Twenty-four strategically placed trap cameras in these locations have recorded numerous tigers between 2020 and 2022. However, only footprints were found in the preceding year. Authorities have now confirmed that the latest footage depicts three distinct tigers, distinguishable by their unique stripe patterns.
Attapon Charoenchansa, the head of the DNP, disclosed that the Wildlife Conservation Office plans to conduct a comprehensive study on these three tigers. The investigation aims to ascertain the duration of their border-crossing activities between Thailand and Myanmar and whether they have been accounted for in previous surveys of Thailand’s tiger population.
According to DNP’s 2020 data, the wild tiger population in Thailand is estimated to be between 148 and 189. The Thung Yai-Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary is recognized as the largest habitat in the country, harboring between 103 and 131 tigers.
