Tigers in Thailand: DSWF Impact

The Dong Phayayen-Khao Yai (DPKY) World Heritage Site spans 230 km between Ta Phraya National Park on the Cambodian border in the east, and Khao Yai National Park in the west. Over the last ten years, DPKY has become a beacon of hope for the Indochinese tiger whose global wild populations have plummeted over the last century.

DPKY comprises of five neighbouring Protected Areas known as; Khao Yai National Park, Thap Lan National Park, Pang Sida National Park, Ta Phraya National Park, and Dong Yai Wildlife Sanctuary (see map below). The site is home to one of the last remaining strongholds of the Indochinese tiger which David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation (DSWF) has been working to protect for over 11 years. 

Since 2004, the DPKY Forest Complex has gone from a site ‘written off’ for meaningful tiger conservation to a success story which is now one of only two forest complexes in mainland Southeast Asia where tiger recovery is occurring. 

The loss of tigers in the area was due to an amalgamation of events including poaching, habitat fragmentation and disease outbreaks happening at the same time. However, with the support of our donors, we are starting to turn the tide and are giving Indochinese tigers a chance to recover in the wild. To learn more about the threats facing tigers, click here

How has this transition occurred?

Over the last decade, DSWF have been working hand in hand with our ground-based conservation partners in Thailand to support tiger recovery in the DPKY complex. With the help of our donors, we have focused on increasing the effectiveness of anti-poaching patrols through mentoring park staff, training wildlife rangers and providing essential field equipment to maximise their effectiveness. The impact of this work is made clear by the fact that not a single tiger has been killed in the DPKY forest complex over the past 12 months. 

This year alone, DSWF have supported: 

By developing the skills of rangers over the past 11 years, DSWF have been able to increase the effectiveness of counter-poaching measures exponentially throughout the DPKY forest complex. However, despite these successes, DSWF is acutely aware of the continued threats facing the Indochinese tigers in Thailand.  

How can you help protect tigers?