An Indochinese tiger has been found in Kanchanaburi's Salak Phra wildlife sanctuary, the first to be found in the area, according to the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP).
Paitoon Intarabutr, chief of Salak Phra wildlife sanctuary, said the tiger was photographed by camera traps installed by a research team from the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), which recently handed over photos of the big cat to the DNP.
He said three tigers were captured by the camera traps and compared with animals documented in the department's database. Two of the photos matched existing records, for tigers tagged HKT270M and TWT130M, which were found in the Huay Kha Kaeng and Thung Yai Naresuan wildlife sanctuaries respectively.
But the third photo featured an undocumented big cat, which was tagged as SLT001M, said Mr Paitoon. He added that the discovery of SLT001M was testament to the DNP's efforts in cracking down on poaching.
However, elsewhere in Kanchanaburi a man and a woman were arrested yesterday after being found with the carcass of a serow, an endangered goat-like species.
Khunawut Langkasit, a DNP official in Kanchanaburi, said the Myanmar nationals were stopped at a checkpoint in Muang district. A search of their pickup truck revealed two chunks of meat, four hooves, six legs and a pair of horns. The suspects were charged with illegal possession of carcasses of wild animals and attempting to smuggle wild animals. Their pickup was seized.