Southeast Asia

As the largest cat species, wild tigers embody the importance of big cats to their ecosystems. But with only about 4,500 remaining, coexisting with these carnivores is more important than ever. In this blog, Dr. Abishek Harihar, Panthera Tiger Program Director, details what we are doing to conserve the world’s largest big cat.

Late last year, Panthera and our partner researchers got a great bit of news from one of their motion-activated cameras located deep in the jungles of Thailand. A flash of light showed the presence of three tiger cubs, healthily walking alongside their mother. Read on to learn from Dr. Rattapan Pattanarangsan, Panthera Thailand Conservation Program Manager, about the importance of these three rare Indochinese tigers and what Panthera and our partners have accomplished in the region. 

Around the world, mammals, birds, fish and other species are disappearing before our very eyes. Habitat destruction, climate change, poaching, pollution and human-wildlife conflict are driving as many as three species to extinction every hour. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) manages a staggering list of over 44,000 species threatened with extinction. Five wild cats (one-eighth of all wild feline species) are officially listed as “Endangered”:

The dense, green, tropical jungles of Malaysia are under threat. On Peninsular Malaysia and Malaysian Borneo, jungle landscapes home to orangutans, elephants and many wild cat species are teetering towards collapse. 

Since 2022, Panthera has been fitting fishing cats with GPS collars in the area in and around Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park, Thailand. This important wildlife habitat is also highly fragmented by human developments, including fishponds and shrimp farms. Because of this, fishing cats here face challenges to their survival and are listed as “Vulnerable” by the IUCN Red List.

The beauty and allure of wild cats is a paradox. On one hand, it makes them powerful ambassadors for biodiversity conservation through public awareness and education initiatives. Leveraging the charismatic appeal of these iconic species, conservation organizations can highlight their roles as key indicators of ecosystem health, which also benefits their habitats and the other species they live alongside. On the other hand, admiration for wild cats has led humans to target them for their skin, teeth, bones and organs.

Wild cats are notoriously difficult to study for numerous reasons, including the remote, rugged nature of their habitats that often expand across incredibly broad distributions, the rarity of certain species and their elusive nature. Despite these challenges, Panthera researchers traverse inhospitable terrain, from mountainous regions with waist-deep snow to dense tropical rainforests that can only be navigated on foot. 

Although most attention and conservation funding are dedicated to big cats, there are 33 equally fascinating and striking species of small wild cats. Many are a mere fraction of the size of the largest male tigers, which can weigh over 600 pounds and take down prey as large as wild buffalo and even bears.

If you’ve been following Panthera’s blog this year, you know that there are many threats facing wild cats.

The serene pattern of raindrops reverberates on a giant kapok tree while tiny droplets sift onto the shaded forest floor. Colorful macaws and playful spider monkeys frantically scurry about, seeking shelter from the gathering thunderstorm. At a distance, a jaguar remains watchful, observing the turmoil as the storm's crescendo reaches a thunderous roar.