A new breeding population of Indochinese tigers has been found in eastern Thailand, raising hope for the critically endangered species.
Camera traps spotted at least six cubs among a small group of Indonesian tigers in a national park in eastern Thailand, according to BBC News.
There are said to be fewer than 250 of this sub-species remaining across the globe.
"The extraordinary rebound of eastern Thailand’s tigers is nothing short of miraculous," said John Goodrich, a tiger program director at Panthera – a wild cat conservation group, according to BBC.
"The stepping up of anti-poaching patrols and law enforcement efforts in this area have played a pivotal role in conserving the tiger population by ensuring a safe environment for them to breed. However, we must remain vigilant and continue these efforts, because well-armed poachers still pose a major threat."
According to Sky News, there are 156 camera traps set up around the park, all of which caught the cubs on video.
The camera traps were put up as part of a new study by Freeland – a counter-trafficking organization – and Panthera.
"The Thai forestry department proved that with protection you can not only bring tigers back, but now the western forest complex, specifically Huai Kha Khaeng, is a global model of tiger conservation," Panthera’s CEO Alan Rabinowitz said, according to Sky News.
"It is one of the best protected and best tiger areas left in the world," he added.
"It’s crucial to continue the great progress made by the Thai government to bolster protection for tigers at the frontlines," said Freeland chairman Kraisak Choonhavan.
"As long as the illegal trade in tigers continues, they will need protection," he added.
According to Time magazine, Indochinese tigers were once found mostly in Asia, but now the only places in the world where they’re not considered extinct are southern China, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and Myanmar.
"Poaching for the illegal wildlife trade stands as the gravest threat to the survival of the tiger, whose numbers in the wild have dwindled from 100,000 a century ago to 3,900 today," according to a statement issued by Freeland and Panthera.
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