Tigers have been spotted in an area of a forest in Western Thailand for the first time in four years, according to conservation group Panthera.

Camera traps have captured footage of three male tigers roaming at night, including at one point peering directly into one of the camera traps.

There are estimated to be about 160 Indochinese tigers left in the wild in Thailand. They are also found in Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia and southwestern China. The total population may only be around 350, according to the World Wildlife Fund.

Kritsana Kaewplang, country director for conservation group Panthera in Thailand, said the sightings mean Thailand is on the right track trying to preserve tigers and their prey.

A database of Thailand’s tiger population showed two of the tigers had travelled from the northern part of the forest to the south, while the third had not been documented before, according to Kritsana Kaewplang who has been working with Thailand’s Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation and other organisations.

Kritsana Kaewplang told Reuters: “We are excited about this discovery. The next important step for us is that we have to try and make the connecting routes of each forest area accommodating for them, in order for the tigers to roam safely.”

Globally there are estimated to be only about 3,900 tigers left in the wild, including the larger Bengal and Siberian tigers.

The footage was released just ahead of Global Tiger Day on 29 July.

Rosa Medea is Life & Soul Magazine’s Chief. She writes about lifestyle including sustainable and green living.