Scramble to save three-legged tiger being hunted by Thai poachers
Rangers scramble to save a three-legged tiger being hunted by Thai poachers as the maimed animal is spotted feeding on a water buffalo in the jungle near the Myanmar border
Thai forest rangers launch desperate search for a three-legged tiger The maimed animal was spotted in Kanchanaburi’s Khao Laem National Park Its missing hind leg was clearly visible as it paced around a buffalo carcassCharity believes animal was the victim of poaching near Myanmar border
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Forest rangers in Thailand have launched a desperate jungle search for a three-legged tiger being hunted by poachers.
Staff from the wildlife protection organisation Freeland spotted the animal earlier this week on video recorded by a camera trap in Kanchanaburi province’s Khao Laem National Park on the Myanmar border as it was feeding on the body of a water buffalo.
Its missing hind leg was clearly visible as it paced awkwardly around the carcass on Sunday night in the thick forest.
Though it is not clear how the tiger lost the limb, Freeland suspects the animal was a victim of poaching. The use of snares is common in jungles throughout Southeast Asia.
Forest rangers in western Thailand have launched a desperate jungle search for a three-legged tiger being hunted by poachers
Staff from the wildlife protection organisation Freeland spotted the animal earlier this week on video recorded by a camera trap in Kanchanaburi province’s Khao Laem National Park on the Myanmar border as it was feeding on the body of a water buffalo
Freeland’s experts fear the slow-moving female — nicknamed ‘I-Douan’, which means ‘the amputated one’ — is at risk from hunters or of starvation due to its likely long-term inability to catch prey.
The charity, working with staff from Thailand’s Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, hopes to waylay the tiger with a tranquilliser dart and move it to a government facility where it can be provided with adequate food and security.
Freeland-Thailand’s executive Petcharat Sangchai told The Associated Press: ‘We can find her, not difficult to find her.’
Its missing hind leg was clearly visible as it paced awkwardly around the carcass on Sunday night in the thick forest. Though it is not clear how the tiger lost the limb, Freeland suspects the animal was a victim of poaching
‘We use the body of the dead buffalo or cow and sit and wait for her to eat the remains, and we can use the sniping gun to shoot her.’
In early January, rangers arrested five men in the forest with two tiger carcasses in their possession. Three weeks later, in the same district, a man said he was attacked by three tigers that killed his two dogs. He escaped by climbing a clump of bamboo.
Video cameras were installed following reports of tiger activity in an area not previously known to support the animals.
The Indochinese tiger is in peril throughout its range, with Thailand home to the biggest population. In 2021, Thai wildlife authorities put the country’s wild tiger population at 177 individuals.
