Tracked tiger blamed for pig killings in Nakhon Sawan village

Park officials have set snares and camera traps around pig farms in Mae Wong district of Nakhon Sawan province in an effort to capture a tiger that killed eight pigs at a farm early Friday morning.

The 13-year-old tiger, named “Pin” by the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, has been fitted with a tracking device on its collar.

The big cat is reported by the village head of Klong Baeng village in Mae Leh sub-district to have entered the village at about 3am yesterday and attacked ten pigs at the farm. Eight pigs were found dead and two were injured.

Park officials from the 12th Conservation Administration Office, based in Nakhon Sawan province, were dispatched to the village yesterday to plan the capture of the tiger, which is believed to have strayed out of Mae Wong National Park in search of food.

Camera traps and snares have been set at various locations where the tiger is expected to roam, and park officials have been stationed in the village until the animal is captured and returned to the wild in the national park.

The officials are advising villagers on how to protect themselves against possible tiger attacks and urging them to exercise caution when venturing out of their homes at night.

Officials said the tiger had been captured on March 3 after it strayed out of Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary in Uthai Thani, which is connected to Mae Wong National Park.