Where once they roamed across the entire continent, fewer than five thousand tigers are now left in the wild. Yet, small pockets of populations have survived in disparate locations throughout at least 13 countries in Asia. The best known of which are the Himalayan nations of India, Nepal and Bhutan, but farther south across the subcontinent small numbers also survive in Bangladesh and Myanmar. The icy wilds of Siberia are home to approximately 500, while relatively significant numbers exist on the Malaysian Peninsula and on the Indonesian island of Sumatra.
There is good news. Although classified as technically extinct in Southeast Asia, a family of juvenile tigers were spotted in Thailand in January (pictured), while there are now thought to be a small number of Indochinese tigers in Laos’ Nam Et – Phou Louey National Park.
Photograph: Department of National Parks Thailand
