India and Cambodia push tiger reintroduction to 2028 because prey numbers are low

India and Cambodia have moved the planned release of Bengal tigers in Cambodia from 2025 to 2028 after a review showed the prey base in the proposed landscape is still too thin. The release site is the 926,123‑hectare Kravanh National Park in the Cardamom Mountains, one of the country’s most intact forest blocks. A 2020 feasibility study estimated less than a 25% chance that the area could sustain 25 adult tigers, but gave an 80% chance of supporting a small group of five. International consultant Jimmy Borah, working with Cambodia’s Ministry of Environment, said prey shortage has been a constant concern. Carnivore biologist K. Ullas Karanth warned that without enough prey, any reintroduction is unlikely to succeed. Cambodia last recorded a wild tiger in 2007 and declared the species extinct in 2016. The new timeline gives the government time to boost prey numbers, increase patrolling, enforce zero‑snaring and improve habitat protection before any tigers are moved in.