Preliminary survey of tiger and other large mammals at Kaeng Krachan National Park, Phetchaburi province, Thailand

Remnant forests of Thailand have been reduced and fragmented by encroachment, illegal felling of timber and other disturbances. This especially affects animals with large area requirements such as tigers, causing their populations to decrease and be lost from parts of their former range. It is necessary to know the current status of tigers in the wild in order to design plans for their conservation. Kaeng Krachan National Park is considered one of the best potential tiger areas in Thailand. In this study, infrared based camera-traps and track and sign methods were used to determine the status of tigers in four areas of Kaeng Krachan, Huai Mae Saliang, Bong Prom, and the Petchaburi River, separated in two part, upper and lower. Twenty nine-traps were placed along trails and streambeds where tigers were thought to be active. Eight were stolen, a further two destroyed by elephants. A total of 809 trapnights of sampling was conducted revealing 11 photorecords of four individual tigers from the study area. Tigers were recorded in the Huai Mae Saliang and Petchaburi Watershed. Tigers share habitat with leopards and wild dog in the Huai Mae Saliang. Total of 34 photorecords of leopard and panther (black leopard) were recorded. Tigers and leopard were mostly active during daylight hours (05:00-19:00hrs). Generally, all areas contained prey species in high relative abundances and represented important feeding areas for carnivores, suggesting a reason why several large carnivore species are able to coexist. Additionally, the Petchaburi River contains several endangered species including Fea muntjac, Malayan tapir and Siamese crocodile. It is suggested that the Petchaburi Watershed be declared a Strict Conservation Zone where human activities of all kinds are severely limited and enforced by law. Ranger patrols need to be increased in all areas to combat poaching.