Incredible images solve mystery around tiger not seen in years: 'Essential pieces of the puzzle'

An elusive tiger that hasn't been spotted in three years reemerged on a trail cam with a surprise: two tiger cubs.

The tiger, a female known as F22, was first seen in the Umphang Wildlife Sanctuary in Thailand in 2022, according to The Olympian. But after that, she seemed to disappear, causing officials to lose some hope.

In December 2024, officials discovered tracks — one large set accompanied by two smaller sets — near the border of Umphang Wildlife Sanctuary and neighboring Thungyai Naresuan East Wildlife Sanctuary, prompting them to set up additional trail cameras to spot the tigers that made them. After taking pictures over several months, images from February showed F22 and two cubs, believed to be between four and six months old, all in good health, according to experts.

📢 ตื่นเต้น! กล้องดักถ่ายในเขตรักษาพันธุ์สัตว์ป่าอุ้มผางจับภาพแม่เสือโคร่งรหัส F22 พร้อมลูกน้อย 2 ตัว ชัดเจน! ความสำเร็จครั้งสำคัญของการอนุรักษ์ผืนป่าตะวันตก พบครั้งแรกในเดือนกุมภาพันธ์ที่ผ่านมา นอกจากนี้ยังพบสัตว์ป่าอีกหลายชนิด สะท้อนความอุดมสมบูรณ์ของระบบนิเวศ #เสือโคร่งไทย pic.twitter.com/MIhKTRhP4P
— Forest for Wildlife (@DNPnews_) April 1, 2025

The trail cams also spotted a variety of other animals in the area, including a leopard, a pack of wild dogs, herds of sambar deer, gaur (a large bovine), muntjacs (a small deer species) and wild boars. This kind of monitoring is crucial, as it helps track and record populations, as well as occasionally make amazing discoveries, like a recent sighting of the Sunda pangolin on Thailand's Ko Pha-ngan island.

Tigers have been critically endangered for years, with an all-time low population of about 3,200 spread across the 13 countries that make up their natural range, according to the World Wildlife Fund.

But conservation efforts have proven effective. A report from Thailand's Western Forest Complex, which includes the Thungyai Naresuan East mentioned above, showed tiger numbers had tripled between 2007 and 2023, according to CNN. The outlet also noted that other species, like deer and wild cattle, tigers' main prey, were also on the rise. As WCS Thailand director Pornkamol Jornburom said, it signals the results of "more effective management."

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"When we conserve tigers, it actually leads to conserving many other species: not only the prey, but also the habitat," Jornburom told CNN.

Saving endangered species is critical to the survival of every living thing and person on the planet.

"From the mighty whale to the humble dung beetle, wild animals are all essential pieces of the puzzle," the WWF explained. The organization also highlighted that many species play a role in our food supply, from the pollinators to animals underground that prevent soil erosion, to predators and prey that spread seeds and manage disease.

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