Spotted: Tiger Cubs in the Wild!

This Endangered Species Day, we’re celebrating a rare and powerful sign of hope: new tiger cubs photographed in Malaysia’s recently declared Al-Sultan Abdullah Royal Tiger Reserve (ASARTR). 

With only about 4,500 left in the wild, tigers are listed as Endangered by the IUCN. Over the past century, they’ve been erased from 93 percent of their historic range, surviving in scattered populations in 10 countries. This Endangered Species Day, these new cubs represent a major conservation win — and something to celebrate. 
 
Over the last year, Panthera’s Malaysia team conducted an extensive remote camera survey across 1,340 square kilometers at the reserve, setting over 340 remote cameras to obtain the first baseline population estimate of tigers in the landscape. This work was supported by Pahang Biodiversity Council and Rainforest Trust. These new photos of the cubs, taken in January 2025, are the first-ever photographic evidence of tiger breeding recorded in ASARTR since the survey commenced in May 2023.

The images, captured by a remote camera, depict a female tiger with two cubs. Both mom and babies appear healthy and in good condition. This female tiger has been seen in other photos since 2023 and likely calls the reserve home.  

These photos indicate that the reserve can be a stronghold for the Malayan tigers to roam, breed and thrive.
 
They also underscore the need for increased patrol efforts, habitat protection, and regular biomonitoring to deter the threats faced by these tigers. Logging trails near the cub sightings pose major risks — offering access to poachers who might target tigers or their prey and degrading vital habitat.

 “The discovery of tiger breeding in ASARTR is exhilarating. It provides novel and rare insight into the tiger population in the landscape,” says Wai Yee Lam, Panthera Malaysia Country Director. “Nevertheless, it’s important that we continue to take steps to reduce the threats these tigers face. These efforts will increase the survivability of the cubs and greatly contribute to tiger conservation.”

In the ASARTR, we work closely with the Pahang State Government and Enggang to support the Save The Malayan Tiger Campaign led by HRH Tengku Hassanal Ibrahim Alam Shah. The initiative helped establish the ASARTR as Malaysia’s first tiger reserve. Additionally, with support from the Department of Wildlife and National Parks, an elite team of community rangers— comprising Indigenous Orang Asli and local Malay community members from Hulu Tembeling — was formed to support the newly created Pahang State Parks Corporation in safeguarding tigers and their prey. Other partners include Pahang Biodiversity Council, Nature Based Solutions, BORA, The Habitat Foundation, and Pahang Forestry Department.

Want to do more to help tigers this Endangered Species Day? Learn more about our work to protect and restore this species or make a donation to support these efforts.