CHIANG MAI, Thailand – Forest rangers and veterinarians in northern Thailand are tracking a suspected big cat after three cattle were killed in Doi Inthanon forest, an area where large predators have not been sighted in decades.
More than 30 officials launched a foot patrol on Wednesday near Muang Ang village in the Chom Thong district of Chiang Mai. The mobilization follows the discovery of three dead cows two days ago, an unprecedented event that has left local farming communities on high alert.
“This is something that has never happened before at Doi Inthanon,” local authorities said, noting that the park is not known for supporting a resident population of large tigers or leopards.
The Search Operation
The search team is utilizing a multi-pronged approach to identify and locate the animal, deploying more than 30 personnel to scour the rugged terrain near the foothills where the carcasses were discovered. To augment the ground patrols, officials are using drones for aerial surveillance to detect heat signatures or movement beneath the dense forest canopy. Meanwhile, experts have begun retrieving and reviewing footage from several motion-activated camera traps strategically positioned along known wildlife corridors to secure visual confirmation of the predator.
Eyewitness Account
Watcharin Potjanabundit, a village headman from Ban Luang sub-district, claimed to have come face-to-face with the predator while on a wildfire patrol.
“It was over three meters long, thick and large. When I saw it, I just froze and held my breath. I was terrified it would see me,” Watcharin said, describing the animal as a “striped” tiger. He estimated the encounter occurred at a distance of about 30 meters before the cat retreated into the brush.
Conflicting Evidence
Despite the witness’s description of a massive tiger, physical evidence at the scene suggests a smaller animal. Experts examining pugmarks found near a stream—less than two kilometers from the kill site—measured the tracks at under 7 centimeters.
The size of the prints is smaller than those typically left by a fully grown Bengal tiger. Specialists say the kills could be the work of either a leopard or a sub-adult tiger that has not yet reached full size.
Authorities have warned villagers to keep their livestock secured and avoid entering the deep forest alone while the tracking operation continues. (TNA)
