How did the tigers in Thailand defy all expectations?

While the number of tigers is declining markedly in South-East Asian countries, Thailand has experienced a “reverse surge” in the number of such animals, which has more than tripled in recent years.

In the forests of western Thailand, an area of 18,000 square kilometres with 11 national parks and 6 wildlife reserves, it is estimated that the number of tigers increased from 41 to 143 between 2007 and 2023.

This return was monitored in a recent study led by the National Parks Administration of Thailand and the Wildlife Conservation Society, and published in the scientific journal Global Ecological and Concerviction.
However, not only are the tigers recovering, an accompanying study published along with the tiger assessment found that the numbers of other species threatened with extinction with hooves, such as deer and wild cattle, which are the main prey of tigers, have doubled in some areas of Thailand.

According to the Director of the Wildlife Conservation Service of Thailand, Borncamol Gornborum, this increase reflects “more effective forest management,” and states that it is “the result of more than a decade of environmental conservation interventions.”
Gornborum states: “In 2005, these patrols were limited in number and irregular,” adding that the guards “may have informed their managers orally (about unfair fishing), so there was no data collection or recording.”