Tiger populations in Thailand are improving, according to a new study and surveys taken for the Wildlife Conservation Society.
Patrols in the Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary have been substantially increased and the result is an increase in the tiger population.
"The protection effort is paying off as the years have progressed, as indicated by the increase in recruitment, and we expect the tiger population to increase even more rapidly in the years to come," Somphot Duangchantrasiri, lead author of the study, said in a news release.
The Government of Thailand entered in a partnership with WCS to increase protection in the HKK in the hope of increasing the population of tigers and their prey. It is one of the most important large source areas in Southeast Asia, with at least 90 tigers counted in it.
However, it will take another 10 to 15 years of intensive protection before prey populations attain the densities necessary to support its full carrying capacity.
Still it shows what can be done if there is buy in from the top.
We have lost 97% of wild tigers in just over a century. Tigers may be one of the most revered animals, but they are also vulnerable to extinction. As few as 3,200 exist in the wild today.
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