Tiger Action Plan

[wilcopops]

In the absence of an ecology and wildlife forum I'll post this here.

Does anyone have any information or update on this plan?

http://www.dnp.go.th/TigerCenter/Thailand_tiger_action_plan_2010-2022.pdf (12mb download)

What has happened to the leadership under the military and how far have they got?

the plan was established in 2010

By now, they should have.....

Established monitoring systems in the WEFCOM and other relevant landscapes.

Have an idea of tiger numbers and potential tiger landscapes.

Established a system to thoroughly monitor captive tigers with clear penalties for violations.

(e.g. - as it appears that places like the Tiger Temple are perpetrating several violations, it would be good to know what is being done there)

Near completion should also be....

Effective managing system in the various tiger landscapes.

Show a clear decline to key threats to tigers

A clear understanding of tiger ecology used to guide the management of these areas.

TIGER POPULATIONS STABILISED or INCREASED in WEFCOM and other areas

establish the possibility of re-establishing tiger populations in other areas.

I would be pleased to here from anyone who has information on the progress achieved.

[Seastallion]

"establish the possibility of re-establishing tiger populations in other areas"

That could be a twofold good thing in that it might deter illegal logging and other poaching in some areas.

Having said that, the problem with spreading tigers to larger areas is that tigers and people don't mix well. Look at the Sundhaband region and the natives, going about their legitimate honey gathering etc die on a regular basis from tiger attack.

[wilcopops]

"establish the possibility of re-establishing tiger populations in other areas"

That could be a twofold good thing in that it might deter illegal logging and other poaching in some areas.

Having said that, the problem with spreading tigers to larger areas is that tigers and people don't mix well. Look at the Sundhaband region and the natives, going about their legitimate honey gathering etc die on a regular basis from tiger attack.

A survey about 6 years ago pointed out that there is sufficient "wild" areas....national parks , reserves etc to support a tiger population of 2000 in Thailand alone. The risk of contact with people in these areas in minimal - about the same as it is wherever they live now. The problem isn't danger to people from tigers, it is danger to tigers from people - e.g those who hunt then or illegally kill their prey.

Illegal logging is a problem for tigers on at least two fronts....first is detraction of habitat, the second is that logging requires roads and either uses roads constructed for other purposes or makes their own.......this is detrimental to tiger populations as it ALSO allows easy access for poachers to the areas.

e.g Mae Wong Dam - the building of dams will require roads to be built into otherwise virgin forest allowing access to all sorts of otter interests (including resorts, fishermen etc and of course poachers). This access is seldom ever lost again.

i don't know this "Sundhaband region - do you Sundha Bandung (indonesia)? Can you give me the reference to the tiger killings?

Edited August 19, 2014 by wilcopops

[wilcopops]

Actually I've just found the area you mean and have lifted this of wiki.....

"Causes of the attacks[edit]

No one is exactly sure why the tigers of the Sundarbans are so aggressive towards humans, but scientists, biologists, and others have speculated about a number of reasons. These include:

• Since the Sundarbans is located in a coastal area, the water is relatively salty. In all other habitats, tigers drink fresh water. It is rumored that the saltiness of the water in this area has put them in a state of constant discomfort, leading them to be extremely aggressive. Freshwater lakes have been artificially made but to no avail.
• The high tides in the area destroy the tiger's urine and scat which serve as territorial markers. Thus, the only way for a tiger to defend its territory is to physically dominate everything that enters.
• Another possibility is that these tigers have grown used to human flesh due to the weather. Cyclones in this part of India and Bangladesh kill thousands, and the bodies drift out in to the swampy waters, where tigers scavenge them.
• Another possibility is that the tigers find hunting animals difficult due to the continuous high and low tides making the area marsh-like and slippery. Humans travel through the Sundarbans on boats gathering honey and fishing, making for easy prey. It is also believed that when a person stoops to work, the tiger mistakes them for a typical prey animal, and has, over time, acquired a 'taste' for the human flesh.
• It has also been hypothesized that the tigers in this area, due to their secluded habitat, avoided the brunt of the hunting sprees that occurred over the course of the 20th century. Tigers inhabiting the rest of Asia developed a fear of humans after these events, but tigers in the Sundarbans would never have had reason to stop seeing humans as prey.

About 5,000 people frequent the swamps and waterways of the Sundarbans. Fishing boats traverse the area and many stop to collect firewood, honey and other items. In the dark forest, tigers find it easy to stalk and attack men absorbed in their work. Even fishermen in small boats have been attacked due to tigers' strong swimming abilities.^[6]"

^{The thing is this is unlike any existing or proposed area in Thailand where people would have to go a long way in large numbers and meet equally aggressive tigers before the situation could arise.}

^{Of course if the Tigers from the Tiger temple were ever released into the wild, that would be a different story.... they have no fear of man and as hybrids and interbreeds raised on a diet of cooked chicken would soon run out of standard prey and turn to whatever came easily "to paw" and destroy the gene pool of the local native tiger subspecies.}

Edited August 19, 2014 by wilcopops

[Puyai]

No. The new people in power have more important issues, like closing down all the shisha bars..

[wilcopops]

I wonder how they will feel if they get the award for the first government in the world this century to preside over the extinction of a major keystone species; the native,wild tiger population.

Edited August 20, 2014 by wilcopops

[wilcopops]

"more important"? - I think the environment is probably the MOST important issue of the m all......no environment, no Thailand.