The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation plans to boost the numbers of a rare population of goral living high in the mountains in the North.
The decision comes after a project was launched in October to study the habitat of goral living in mountainous parts Chiang Mai, Lamphun and Mae Hong Son.
Having begun in October this year and running through to March 2018, a recent progress report noted that there are still a few hundred gorals living in the wild in those three northern provinces.
Kanjana Nitaya, director of the department's Wildlife Conservation Office, said the department is aware of that goral risk becoming extinct due to factors including illegal hunting and habitat loss from tourism activity.
But she said the recent survey found that there are around 90 gorals living in the Khao Soi Dao Wildlife Sanctuary in Chiang Mai, which is a positive sign.
Mongkol Safoowong, chief of the goral population survey in the North, said that more surveys will be carried out this winter and the information obtained would be used to find ways to try and boost numbers of the goat-like animals living in the wild.
"We are concerned about inbreeding that might make the next generation weaker. We will try to introduce new members to the group to prevent the problem," he said.
Rangsrit Kanjanavanich, deputy chairman of the Seub Nakhasathien Foundation, warned that the department might have overestimated the number of goral in the wild and must be very careful when conducting future counts.
Mr Rangsit stressed that the threats posed by forest fires, illegal poaching and tourism are driving the species to the point of extinction.
He also said Khao Soi Dao Wildlife Sanctuary is having a problem managing the numbers of tourists who wish to visit sensitive areas, especially in the winter season.
National Wildlife Protection Day will be celebrated on Tuesday and Wednesday at Bangkok Art & Culture Centre and will feature a photo exhibition of the DNP's forest protection efforts and achievements, an award ceremony honouring environmental campaigners and a seminar on threats to wildlife.
Members of the public are also being asked to donate money to help animals which have been confiscated from their owners. The money will be spent for food and medical treatment. The department said it had so far received around 1 million baht in donations to take care of over 10,000 confiscated animals.