A tigress and three cubs were captured on camera in a 20-second video uploaded by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) on Thursday.
The wildlife conservation nonprofit noted that the video was taken in western Thailand only a few months ago.
In the video, the tigress leads her cubs through a forest as they emerge from behind a large boulder and pass the hidden camera.
Recorded in Thailand’s Upper Western Forest Complex — one of the two locations in the country where wild tigers continue to roam — the video was captured by camera traps set up by the WWF and Thailand’s Department of National Parks. These traps are used to both monitor the endangered species and capture evidence to support conservation efforts.
Only 148-189 wild tigers are believed to remain in Thailand, World Wildlife Fund reports.
Dr. Rungnapa Phoonjampa, WWF-Thailand’s senior project manager, expressed their excitement at the discovery:
I’ve seen many camera trap videos of tigers, but this one really stands out, it’s beautiful.. Many people are giving their time and effort into protecting Thailand’s tigers, such as the dedicated ranger teams and conservationists, and it’s so rewarding to see this kind of video. It motivates us to keep going!
Although Thailand was once home to over 100,000 tigers in the 1990s, their numbers quickly dropped due to habitat loss and poaching.
Before the end of the century, Thailand made a commitment to protect its tigers, Royal Thai Embassy reports. In recent years, the country has seen a growth in the number of tigers, making it the only Southeast Asian country where there has been population growth.
WWF bills itself as the world’s leading conservation organization, collaborating with people in almost 100 countries, including Thailand, to “conserve nature and reduce the most pressing threats to the diversity of life on Earth.”
