VietNamNet Bridge - For a long time scientists have not seen any signs of tigers in nature Many experts said that this species is extinct in Vietnam, even in nature reserves or national parks.

According to the survey in 2011 of the Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources in the 6 provinces of Quang Nam, Ha Tinh, Nghe An, Dien Bien, Kon Tum and Dak Lak, the wild tiger populations numbered between 27 and 47.

But according to the research team, this number included tigers in Cambodia and Laos because the areas with tigers are special-use forests bordering these two countries. This showed that the number of tigers in the three Indochinese countries was very low and the tiger  endangered.

One year later Vietnam had only 30 natural tigers. This figure in 2015 was estimated at less than 5, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

"Vietnam has lost the last rhino, will the tiger follow?" said a representative of the Education Center Nature of Vietnam (ENV), adding that Cambodia had declared the extinction of the tiger.

So far though there has been no further survey of the tiger in Vietnam, and many scientists believe that Vietnam no longer has wild tigers. Explaining this, an expert said that to carry out studies and surveys, there should be signs of the presence of tigers in a certain locality. The director of a National Park said he and his colleagues had not noticed footsteps of the tiger or other animals that were eaten by tigers as before.

"Wild tigers in Vietnam may have disappeared. If they still exist, they are often seen in the bordering areas with Laos and Cambodia, from Nghe An to Quang Nam, Chu Mon Ray (Kon Tum), Bu Gia  Map (Binh Phuoc), but the frequency of occurrence of the species is very few and almost nothing,"he said.

Thomas Gray, from the WWF-Greater Me Kong, agreed with this point of view. "There is no updated data on the presence of tigers in Vietnam. It is highly possible that this species has been extinct," he said.

In case they still exist, they are only very few and live in the woods so they lose the ability to reproduce and they will be gradually extinct. "A warning for the conservation of large mammals in Vietnam was made when the rhino was extinct; the tiger could be extinct and the extinction of elephants is very near without strong conservation action,"the WWF's representative said.

According to experts, the threat of extinction of the tigers is the result of being hunted and illegally traded. Since 2008 hundreds of cases of illegal trading of tigers have been detected.

Deforestation is also the reason pushing large mammals such as elephants, rhinos, and tigers to extinction due to lack of food and shelter. The community of tigers divided into small groups, without exchanges and genetic exchange, can lead to degradation of genetic resources.

Cambodia's upcoming program to release tigers to the eastern plains will be an opportunity for Vietnam if conservation work is performed well, because "the tigers in the neighboring country will cross the border," a representative of WWF said.

Nam Nguyen