Rare tiger sighting in Thailand raises conservation hopes

Camera traps placed in the forests of western Thailand have captured rare footage of three Indochinese tigers, which have not been seen in this region for four years according to conservationist groups.

Conservationists say this is evidence of recovery for the endangered animal.

“We are excited about this discovery … all three tigers at once,” Kritsana Kaewplang, Panthera Thailand programme director, said. “The next important step for us is that we have to try and make the connecting routes of each forest area accommodating for them, in order for the tigers to roam safely around the forest.”

Conservationists warn poaching and illegal trade remain the biggest threat to tigers.

Southeast Asia is a major area of focus in the fight to save the world’s big cats whose numbers have plummeted globally from about 100,000 a century ago to about 3,900 today, according to the World Wide Fund for Nature.

There are an estimated 160 wild tigers left in Thailand.

This video was produced and edited by Al Jazeera NewsFeed’s Seena Khalil.