Population of Thai tigers planned to rise by 50 percent in next several years

Thailand plans to increase its population of tigers by about 50 per cent in the next several years, confirmed a senior government official on Tuesday.

Given the current population of about 750 tigers roaming in Thailand's evergreen forests, the authorities will see to it that that number will rise by at least 300 to add it up to over 1,000 tigers by the year 2022, according to Adisorn Nuddamrong, deputy director general of the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation.

Those tigers are mostly found in Khaoyai-Dong Payayen forest straddling several central and northeastern provinces, Kaeng Krachan forest in Petchburi province, Pukhiew forest in Nakorn Ratchasima province, Namnao forest in Petchaboon province and Tenasserim mountain range along the Thai-Myanmar border, the deputy department head said.

Thailand has reached agreements with its neighbors, namely Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia and Myanmar, in bid to jointly protect tigers in the tropical forests along the shared borders, Adisorn said.

The Thai authorities have stepped up measures to protect the endangered species including the tigers in the woods, whose population is yet to increase by about 50 per cent in the next several years, he said.

In addition, there are currently an estimated 1,300 tigers being raised at private zoos throughout the country. Endit