PHENOM PENH, Cambodia: The dwindling population of tigers in Cambodia, the kingdom is set to import four tigers from India this year, as per an agreement with New Delhi for the specie’s revival.
Once abundant in Cambodia’s dry forests, Indochinese tigers have faced severe threats from intensive poaching, leading to their functional extinction in 2016.
Khvay Atitya, spokesman for the environment ministry, disclosed plans for one male and three female tigers to acclimatize in a designated 90-hectare forest area within the Tatai Wildlife Sanctuary in Koh Kong province before their release into the wild.
The initiative also involves extensive monitoring efforts, with over 400 cameras being installed in the Cardamom Mountains reserve to track wildlife, including tiger prey species like deer and boar.
The collected data aims to aid tiger breeding efforts and facilitate the success of the reintroduction project. If successful, Cambodia plans to import twelve more tigers over the next five years. This collaboration between Cambodia and India builds upon a memorandum of understanding signed in 2022, signaling a joint commitment to tiger conservation and habitat restoration.
India’s robust conservation efforts have seen its wild tiger population surpassing 3,600, showcasing the potential for effective conservation measures to safeguard these majestic species.
