Cambodia to reintroduce wild tigers after 20-year absence

(ECNS) -- Cambodia will bring back wild tigers to its wilderness next year, ending a roughly two-decade absence of the big cats in the country.

The last verified wild tiger sighting in Cambodia dated back to camera trap records in 2007, after which the species was deemed functionally extinct locally.

Under the official revival scheme, tigers sourced from India will be released into the Cardamom Mountains, a protected rainforest spanning over one million hectares in southwestern Cambodia.

Jimmy Borah from Indian environmental organisation Aaranyak voiced strong backing for the cross-border conservation project. He told AFP that reintroducing tigers will restore the region's apex predator ecosystem, curb unregulated overexploitation of natural resources and stimulate eco-tourism. He added the project will send a powerful global message that transboundary wildlife restoration is entirely feasible.

Yet the plan faces lingering hurdles. Experts warn insufficient prey populations, ongoing deforestation and nearby human settlements pose survival threats to the translocated tigers.

Local residents also hold split opinions over the multi-million-dollar initiative and potential safety risks.

Even so, conservationists maintain the programme carries far-reaching ecological value for safeguarding the Cardamom rainforest landscape.