Purr-fect move: Big cats on their way to Cambodia

Cambodia’s last known tiger was filmed on a camera
trap in in 2007. Photo Credit: Adobe Stock/ondrejprosicky

India is planning to send four tigers to Cambodia by the end of this year in a bid to reintroduce the wild animals into Cambodia's forests.

One male and three female tigers from India's Western Ghats will be transferred to the Cardamom Hills in Cambodia once authorities can work out the logistics of the operation.

The move to reintroduce tigers into Cambodia comes after the country's last known tiger was filmed on a camera trap in in 2007.

Poaching and habitat loss have been cited among factors leading to the tigers’ extinction in the wild. Cambodia says it will abide by protocols established by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) for such reintroduction programmes.

India launched Project Tiger initiative in 1973, expanding its tiger reserves to protect its tiger population, which is estimated to be 75% of the global wild tiger population. Government data from 2022 reports India's tiger population at 3,682.