3 endangered tiger cubs caught on digicam in Thai nationwide park for first time

A nationwide park in Thailand has not one however three causes to have fun after confirming a uncommon Bengal tiger is elevating a trio of cubs within the protected space.

Park rangers first noticed a single cub with its mom on a digicam lure final 12 months in Kaeng Krachan Nationwide Park, round 80 miles southwest of Bangkok.

However additional footage, retrieved solely this week from cameras broken by heavy rain final 12 months, confirmed that the litter is three-strong.

“That is the primary time we now have recorded a tiger elevating three cubs within the nationwide park,” Kaeng Krachan Nationwide Park chief Mongkol Chaipakdee mentioned in a press release despatched to AFP on Friday.

“We have been solely capable of get better the footage this week as a result of our digicam was broken as a consequence of rain final 12 months.”

The digicam lure footage exhibits the three cubs scampering in a forest whereas their mom prowls round.

The video of the feline household captured in July was revealed by the nationwide park on its Fb web page on Wednesday.

“Primarily based on the timeline, we estimate the cubs at the moment are about six months previous,” Mongkol mentioned.

The park later introduced on social media that it was launching a contest to call the three cubs, with prizes provided to the individuals who submit the successful entries.

Six grownup Bengal tigers at present reside in Kaeng Krachan Nationwide Park — a UNESCO World Heritage web site unfold over densely forested mountains alongside the border with Myanmar — two males, two females and two whose intercourse is unknown.

Bengal tiger sightings are uncommon.

Nonetheless, park officers noticed one other Bengal tiger in Kui Buri Nationwide park, south of the capital Bangkok, earlier this 12 months. It was the primary sighting of the animal in that park in a decade, based on Thai authorities.

Park chief Atthapong Pao-on instructed the Bangkok Submit that the tiger was noticed after groups put in wildlife digicam traps to watch the world.

“Bengal tigers usually are not solely highly effective predators, however they’re additionally the indicator of the abundance of nature,” he instructed the Submit.

Thailand has one of many few remaining breeding populations of Bengal tigers, which roam only a handful of nations, together with India, Nepal, Russia and Bhutan.

Bengal tigers are listed as endangered on the Worldwide Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) purple record of threatened species as a consequence of searching and wildlife trafficking.

Immediately, solely round 4,500 are estimated to stay, based on the IUCN.

Conservation successes have elevated the Bengal tiger populations in India and Nepal lately.