NEW DELHI: India has postponed its plan to reintroduce Royal Bengal Tigers in Cambodia, pushing the target date from 2025 to 2028 after a review found that the prey base in the proposed habitat remains too low to support a viable tiger population.
The move follows concerns over the availability of natural prey in Cardamom National Park (CNP) in southwestern Cambodia, which has been officially considered tiger-free since 2007.
India and Cambodia signed a Memorandum of Understanding in 2023 to reintroduce six Royal Bengal Tigers — two males and four females — from India. However, officials said the project cannot proceed until ecological conditions improve.
Phan Channa, Deputy Director of the Department of Northern Tonle Sap Terrestrial Protected Area Conservation, said the shortage of prey was a key reason for the delay.
“The failure to expand the prey base in Cardamom National Park as per NTCA expectations is one of the key reasons for extending the deadline.”
The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) will travel to Cambodia in October for consultations with Cambodian authorities. The discussions will focus on a roadmap for tiger recovery and assess whether the habitat is ready for the reintroduction.
Channa said the October workshop would help determine the next phase of the programme.
“The upcoming training workshop in October will be crucial as it will help us prepare a final action plan for tiger recovery.”
The workshop will bring together Cambodian forest officials, wildlife experts, scientists, community representatives from the proposed reintroduction area and international conservation organisations.
India is also working with Cambodia to strengthen the prey population through workshops and technical training. Wild pigs, muntjacs, sambars, lesser mouse deer and mainland serows remain below the desired numbers.
An Indian official said, “The current prey base can only support 3-4 tigers in the region, which is insufficient to robustly advance the reintroduction mission.”
Indian authorities are also assessing Cambodia's capacity to protect the tigers after their introduction, including patrolling, tracking poachers and ensuring timely prosecution in wildlife crime cases.
WWF, Conservation International, Wildlife Alliance and IUCN are working with Cambodia to prepare the landscape for the programme. India, which hosts around 70% of the world's wild tiger population, is drawing on its experience to support Cambodia's reintroduction programme.
