A new report shows that there has been no evidence that Tigers are still existing in Laos. The report called Global Ecology and Conservation found that there was no evidence that Tigers were still in the country; the report also said that Tigers were now functionally extinct within Laos.
If there are no Tigers left in Laos, and there is none seen within the next few years, then it is very likely that Tigers will be officially declared extinct in Laos.
Tigers still existed there just a few years back. There has been significant pressure on Tigers within Laos and other parts of Asia; habitat loss and poaching have resulted in the Tiger becoming extinct in several countries across Asia recently - Laos is just the latest country which has seen the extinction of the Tiger. Just a few months ago in September 2019, Cambodia's last Tiger died. While Tigers have also recently been declared functionally extinct within Vietnam.
All of the Tigers from Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, are known as the Indochinese Tiger. The Indochinese Tiger is a subspecies of Tiger which is found in Asia. These big cats are in serious trouble, and could become extinct within the near future if we don't protect them. They are currently endangered and their numbers are decreasing. The population of these big cats has declined by a massive 70%, according to the WWF.
The population of the Indochinese Tiger has already declined dramatically within the last decade. In 2010, the Indochinese Tiger was found in six countries: Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, China, Myanmar and Thailand, where their population was only 350 big cats. In just ten years, we've seen the Indochinese Tiger become extinct in half of the countries that they were once present in during 2010. Today, there are almost half the Indochinese Tigers there was in 2010: there are now only 7 in China, and 189 in Thailand, there also thought to be some Tigers in Malaysia however there is no estimation of their current day numbers.
The next few years will be critical for the Indochinese Tiger: if we do nothing and current declines continue with these beautiful animals, then we will likely see their extinction within the next ten years.
The survival of the Indochinese Tiger will depend upon us. And more crucially, what we do in the near future. We can still save these beautiful big cats, and we do still have time, however, time is running out.
You can help Tigers and save them for now and the future - here! đŻ
Sources:
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/study-reveals-loss-of-laoss-final-tigers/
https://news.mongabay.com/2019/10/how-laos-lost-its-tigers/
https://www.sustainability-times.com/environmental-protection/wild-tigers-will-be-doomed-if-conservation-efforts-remain-wanting/
https://www.sustainability-times.com/environmental-protection/tigers-have-likely-been-driven-extinct-in-laos/
https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/continental-tiger
https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/136853/4346984
http://www.wwf.org.mm/en/our_works/species/indochinese_tiger/
https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/extinction-countdown/tigers-extinct-in-laos/