The rare Indochinese tiger is widely dispersed throughout six countries – Thailand, Cambodia, China, Lao PDR, Myanmar, and Vietnam. Although extensive habitat is available in some places, rapid development is fragmenting habitats and forcing tigers into scattered, small refuges. Poaching is also a threat.
Indochinese tiger
Indochinese tiger (Panthera tigris corbetti) is only found in the Greater Mekong region of Southeast Asia, including Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam.
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Key Facts
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Common Name
Indochinese Tiger; Tigre d'Indochine (Fr)
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Scientific Name
Panthera tigris corbetti
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Status
IUCN: Endangered C2a(i) CITES: Appendix I
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Population
Around 300
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habitat
Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests
Where does the Indochinese tiger live?
The Indochinese tiger is mostly found in lowland and highland tropical deciduous, semi-evergreen and evergreen forests in Indochina.Today, the subspecies is confined to remote forests in hilly to mountainous terrain mostly along the borders of their range states. Most are found in Thailand, but they also live in eastern Myanmar, southern China, Cambodia, Lao PDR, and Vietnam.
How many Indochinese tigers are left in the wild?
The Indochinese tiger is thought to number around 300 individuals.However this number is an estimate: due to restricted access to the border areas where the Indochinese tiger lives, relatively little is known about their population status.
Most individuals (around 100) live in Thailand, with no more than 30 individuals per country in Vietnam, Cambodia and Lao PDR. The population in Myanmar is unknown.
Major habitat type
Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forestsBiogeographic realm
Indo-MalayanRange states
Cambodia, China, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand, VietnamGeographical location
Southeast Asia
Tiger range, former and current
Map
What are the main threats to Indochinese tigers?
The key threats to Indochinese tigers are habitat fragmentation and direct poaching of both the tiger and its prey.Roads fragment habitat and bring poachers
While good habitat is extensive in some areas, habitat fragmentation due to rapid development – especially the building of road networks – is a serious problem, especially in Vietnam. This fragmentation forces tigers into scattered, small refuges, which isolates populations and increases accessibility for poachers.
In the Lower Mekong Forests region (Cambodia, Lao PDR, Vietnam), both tiger and prey densities are generally low due to intensive hunting and weak law enforcement over the past few decades.
The skins of Indochinese tiger (Panthera tigris corbetti) and other rare cats are openly displayed for sale in Cholon District, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
What is WWF doing?
How WWF protecting tigers in the Greater Mekong region:Carrying out research and surveys to identify tiger habitat, tiger prey and tiger population numbers
Improving habitat conditions so that both tigers and their prey populations will naturally increase
Training protected area personnel and rangers to carry out surveys, and to effectively manage protected areas where tigers are found
Actively seeking the establishment of formal protection in areas where tigers are found but where they still lack effective protection
Engaging with local authorities and communities living in proximity to tiger areas so that people and tigers can coexist
Public awareness-raising across the Greater Mekong’s tiger range states about tigers and the threats they face
Some WWF projects that support this work:
Tx2 - we want to double the number of tigers in the wild
Watch video: Tigers in the Mekong
Visit the WWF Greater Mekong website for more information on the Indochinese tiger and our work to protect it.
If current trends persist, tigers are likely to vanish from the wild in many places, or shrink to the point of "ecological extinction" – where their numbers are too low to play a role as the effective top predator in the ecosystem. It is clear that bold and transformative actions are now needed.
You can help
- Visit this page for a full list of actions you can take to help protect tigers and support our Tiger Campaign.
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