The Lord of Thailand's jungles, a wild male Indochinese tiger, Panthera tigris corbetti. Hunted to near extinction throughout the world over the last century,

he is one of perhaps 200 to 300 surviving tigers in Thailand.
He is one of a very small group still surviving in Thailand's Eastern Forest Complex. He hangs on to his existence deep in Thailand's forests against all hope and especially against the ravages of poaching and of habitat loss.

His survival is largely due to the hard work and dedication of the staff of the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation. So the next time you are a National Park please remember the important work that the Department is doing, follow their rules and guidance, and treat their forest protectorate with the utmost of respect. Then, just maybe, one day, the possibility of sighting of one of these "Lords" may become a reality again.

Addendum:

Forum member Bagheera pointed out a new article on the BBC highlighting the issue of tiger poaching in Thailand, in particular the current use of poisons by poachers. It is a very interesting article and can be read here.... article link. Of particular note is the passage "In the country as a whole, the best estimate is that no more than 200 tigers remain in the wild - a massive decline in the space of a few decades". Whilst previous estimates varied dependent on the source data assimilator, the generally accepted figure over the last decade was 200-400. If the lower number of the previous estimate/s is now a maximum case scenario, then the situation requires our support. The DNP has clarified in its recent and excellent "Wildlife Conservation in Thailand" that it estimates 250 wild tigers survive realisticially, using empirical data as it's base rather than hearsay. To put this into context the DNP has also recorded that 1,417 tigers exist in captivity in Thailand. From that 1,417 tigers, 107 exist in Kanachanaburi's "Tiger Temple" alone. Think about those numbers.

I would implore readers to think about what they can do to be proactive about the survival of the tiger in Thailand's forest complex'. No matter how small that action may be. Be it to donate to the DNP, or NGOs working in Thailand, or International NGOs. Be it to arrange an awareness initiative at your community, workplace or school. Or be it to simply spread the word by openly discussing the tiger's plight with colleagues and friends. Sometimes little things make big things happen.