Tiger Mom Mae Kaew Raises Nine Cubs as Thailand's Tigers Rise
By @sharedot · · 6 pages
- Positive
- Conservation
- Wildlife
- Tigers
- Thailand
Thailand's tigers are rebounding to 210–257 animals, led by Mae Kaew, a breeding female who has raised nine cubs and is now a grandmother.
A mother of nine is spotted leading her cubs through the dark
Thailand's Department of National Parks, Wildlife, and Plant Conservation announced this year that the country's tiger population has increased — and one female tiger has done more than her share.
Known as Mae Kaew, she once lived in the Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary about 200 miles from Bangkok before moving north into the Upper Western Forest Complex in 2021. There she raised three litters: two cubs in 2022, three in 2023, and four in 2026, making her a mother of nine, per A-Z Animals.
Her family has repeatedly been caught on camera traps, including a night-time image of her escorting cubs through the forest.
The first grand-cubs confirm the recovery is real
What makes Mae Kaew's story especially heartwarming is that her legacy is now spanning generations.
One of the female offspring from her 2022 litter has had cubs of her own, making Mae Kaew a grandmother — a moment captured as the young family strolled past a night-time camera trap, according to A-Z Animals.
A breeding female is one of the most important indicators of successful big-cat conservation, because raising cubs requires sufficient prey, a secure habitat, and low disturbance. Her cubs will soon establish territories of their own, further swelling Thailand's recovering tiger population.
The only ASEAN country where tiger numbers are climbing
The Royal Thai Government announced on July 29, 2026 that its tiger population now stands between 210 and 257 individuals, making Thailand the only ASEAN country where tigers show a sustainable upward trend.
A-Z Animals reports the figures came from a multi-agency survey using camera traps in 30 protected areas, with tigers recorded in 26 of them. Partners included the Wildlife Conservation Society, WWF Thailand, Panthera, and the Freeland Foundation.
The Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary held the highest count at around 100 individuals, with 25 more in eastern Thungyai Naresuan and 15 in its western part.
Saving tigers meant saving everything else first
Thailand's strategy, as A-Z Animals describes it, hinged on rebuilding the whole ecosystem rather than the tigers alone.
After signing the 2010 St. Petersburg Declaration, the country introduced two National Action Plans for Tiger Conservation and the SMART patrol system to deter poaching, backed by a significantly invested ranger workforce.
Community trust-building proved central: rangers and WWF-Thailand run a 'Big Cat Band' using music to build awareness, and a Tiger House and Tiger Science classroom now exist at Khlong Lan Kindergarten School and national park.
Sambar deer and endangered banteng were also relocated into tiger habitats and tracked by GPS collars, restoring the prey base the big cats need.