Five poachers were each sentenced to a total of four years and nine months months in prison and fined 5,500 baht, after they were found guilty of killing a tiger and its cub in March last year in the Thong Pha Phum National Park, in the western province of Kanchanaburi.

The five convicts were also ordered by the court to pay 750,000 baht in compensation to the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation.

The men were caught in the process of preparing two tiger hides in Huai Pilok forest, within the territory of the national park, by a team of park rangers on a routine patrol.

The park rangers became suspicious when they saw smoke and went to investigate. The hunters’ dogs barked when they sensed the presence of others, prompting the hunters to flee.

Further investigation led to the arrests of the poachers, who are residents of Pilok village. They claimed that they killed the tigers because they had eaten their cattle.

The court initially handed down sentences of nine years and 6 months to each of the five men, after finding them guilty on multiple charges, including the killing of the tigers, which are a protected species, trespass, possession of wildlife carcasses and carrying firearms in public without a license.

The court reduced the prison terms because the men had confessed.