People living in communities near the Srinagarind Dam, in Si Sawat district of Kanchanaburi province, have been advised not to forage in the forest or allow their children to play near the dam after a tiger was recorded by CCTV walking on the top of the dam early on Sunday morning.
The tiger, identified as “SLT022” by its stripes, is confirmed to have come from the Salak Phra forest, according to Salak Phra Wildlife Sanctuary chief, Paitoon Indharabut.
SLT022 was spotted at about 2am walking along the crest of the dam, said Paitoon, as he explained that the big cat might have used the same route previously, but had not been captured by the CCTV system before.
He said the tiger might be one of the two reported to have been sighted by villagers in the woods behind Mahidol University. Camera traps have been installed in the woods, but they have failed to capture any images of either of the big cats, he added.
The mayor of Erawan Tambon Administrative Organisation (TAO) said that a tiger has never been spotted near human habitations in the area before and advised people against entering the forest, because it is not known whether the animal is still around.
He also said that night guards should be deployed in communities as a precaution.
