The Cardamom Project: Indochinese Tiger

Indochinese Tiger
Panthera tigris corbetti

Smaller and darker than the Bengal tiger, with shorter, narrower stripes, the Indochinese tiger, also known as the Corbetts tiger, can be found in Thailand, Burma, southern China, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, and peninsular Malaysia. It's one of only five surviving tiger subspecies in the world, all of which are endangered. Only about 1200 to 1800 Indochinese tigers are left in the wild, with 60 in zoos around the world. That is, sadly, a bit better than some of its relatives -- notably, the Siberian tiger, which has only a few hundred living survivors, and the South China tiger, which, with a few dozen survivors, is virtually extinct. The Indochinese tiger is also thought by some to be the animal most closely related to the original ancestor of all tiger species. As a result, some of its genetic components may provide clues to the survival of current tiger species.

Tigers thrive in remote forests and hilly, mountainous terrain, which makes the Cardamom Mountains a perfect breeding ground for these animals. The very remoteness of its environment, along with the animal's scarcity, has meant that little field work has been done to study the Indochinese tiger in the wild. The animals are also shy and nocturnal. Every adult male has its own territory, which includes the territories of several females. The male and the female find each other by calling. After mating, the male usually leaves, with the female raising one to three cubs. Cubs join their mothers for hunting after about six months, and begin hunting independently at about a year and a half.

As predators, tigers also need the existence of other animals, such as wild pigs, cattle, and deer, to survive. Habitat destruction, along with the loss of these species from these areas, have contributed immensely to the tiger's predicament. Also, one of the biggest threats comes from ancient beliefs that the tiger's body parts can give humans the potency of these animals. In Vietnam, for example, tiger skins, teeth and bones can be easily bought in Chinese pharmacies and elsewhere. The desperate poverty in many of the regions where the tiger is found has exacerbated this problem -- they are too valuable on the black market for poor villagers to ignore. Thus, anti-poaching measures have not always proven successful. But in Malaysia, which has begun to attain some economic stability, efforts against poaching have been more effective, proving that economic development and conservation can work together. As one of the poorest countries on Earth, and one with dense Indochinese tiger populations, Cambodia has emerged as a crucial point for preserving this species.