Amazing tiger cub cam
You might think you’ve seen footage a bit like this on You’ve Been Framed – young cats playfully investigating a video camera. The difference here is that these wild tiger cubs in the Sumatran jungle are some of the rarest cats in the world…
Specially designed video cameras installed by WWF deep in the Sumatran jungle have captured first-time images of a rare female tiger and her cubs.
There are as few as 400 Sumatran tigers left in the wild, and they’re under relentless pressure from illegal poaching and forest clearances. After five years of research using ‘camera traps’, this is the first footage of a tiger with offspring.
It isn’t just wonderful to watch (and even hard-bitten professional conservationists find those cubs a bit cute), it gives researchers a unique insight into these elusive animals’ movements, numbers and behaviour.
WWF-Indonesia’s forest programme director, Ian Kosasih, says: “When these cubs are old enough to leave their mother, which will be soon, they will have to find their own territory. But where will they go?
“Tiger habitats have shrunk, with so much of the surrounding area being cleared. The tigers will have a very hard time avoiding encounters with people, which will be dangerous for all concerned.”
WWF is urging the paper companies and palm oil plantation owners in the area to help protect the forest habitats of tigers and other endangered species.
With wild tiger numbers as low as 3,200, more must be done to ensure this charismatic species is not lost forever. Our target is to double their numbers in the wild by 2022.
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