Tiger

Indochinese Tigers (locally known in Cambodia as Kla Dombong, Kla Thom, or Kla Kham) are carnivorous predators and the largest feline (cat) species in the world. They play a critical role in maintaining the balance of natural forest ecosystems.

General Characteristics

• Appearance: They have a reddish-orange, yellow, or light brown coat with distinctive black vertical stripes running from head to tail. These stripe patterns are unique to each individual, functioning like human fingerprints.
• Size & Weight: An adult male tiger can weigh over 300 kilograms and reach a body length of up to 3.3 meters (including the tail). Females are slightly smaller.
• Diet & Lifestyle: Tigers are solitary animals that prefer to live and hunt alone, unlike lions which live in prides. They primarily prey on large hoofed animals such as sambar deer, banteng, gaur, and wild boars.
• Lifespan: In the wild, they can live for up to 25 years.

Status of Tigers in Cambodia

• Extinction from the Wild: According to data from the Ministry of Environment WWF and conservation organizations, the last wild tiger in Cambodia was photographed by a camera trap in 2007 in Mondulkiri province. In 2016, Cambodia officially declared tigers functionally extinct due to heavy poaching, snaring, and habitat loss.
• The Tiger Reintroduction Project: To bring them back, the Cambodian government, in collaboration with Wildlife Alliance and the Government of India, launched a historic tiger reintroduction project. Cambodia plans to import Bengal Tigers from India to be released into the Cardamom Rainforest Landscape. A secure 40-hectare soft-release enclosure has already been built to help the tigers acclimate before they are released into the wild.