In the late 2023, deep inside Khlong Lan National Park, a small striped cub opened his eyes for the very first time. He was one of two brothers born to a resident female tiger known as F19 – the first mother ever recorded to successfully raise cubs in this protected area.
One of those cubs was soon given a special name: Gamma.
His stripes told the story first. On both hips, the dark curving lines formed a pattern shaped like the Greek letter “γ”—gamma. From then on, he carried not only a name, but a symbol of the new generation of tigers emerging in Mae Wong–Khlong Lan National Parks.
A Cub Growing Up in a Changing Forest
Camera traps began capturing Gamma and his family soon after his birth. The photos showed him trotting behind his mother, learning to stalk through tall grass, and exploring the restored grasslands DNP and WWF Thailand helped create to support prey recovery—especially sambar and gaur.
Often, Gamma and his brother were seen wandering between Khlong Lan National Park and Khlong Wang Chao National Park, two key areas in Thailand’s Western Forest Complex (WEFCOM). Each sighting was a small victory: in tiger conservation, cub survival is one of the strongest indicators that a landscape is recovering.
These early years were important. Tigers rarely survive to adulthood—and for male tigers, dispersal is especially risky.
The Disappearance: A Moment of Uncertainty
In January 2025, Gamma was about 16 months old—just before the age when young males start leaving their mother’s territory to find a home of their own.
And then, he vanished. No photos. No tracks. No sign of either cub.
The timing raised concern. A new adult male had recently entered F19’s territory—an event that can trigger infanticide, a natural but harsh behavior in which incoming males kill cubs that are not their own.
Had Gamma dispersed? Had he been killed before he had the chance? For months, we feared the worst.
Then came the image that changed everything.
In November 2025, a camera trap in Lan Sang National Park, far north of his birthplace, captured a powerful young male tiger. His stripes—those unmistakable gamma-shaped marks—confirmed it.
Gamma is alive. Not just alive—he had dispersed out of his mother’s territory and was now far to the north.
At roughly 26 months old, Gamma had completed a long dispersal journey around 70 km: Khlong Lan → Khlong Wang Chao → Lan Sang.
Gamma’s journey
Male tigers of dispersal age often roam great distances in search of prey and potential mates, and his journey may not yet be over. Whether he chooses Lan Sang as his new territory remains to be seen.
But one thing is certain: Gamma has survived one of the hardest stages of a tiger’s life.
Three Big Insights for Conservation
1. His survival shows real progress in tiger recovery.
Young male tigers face high mortality rates. The fact that Gamma survived to adulthood, evaded dominant males, and found safety in a new national park is a sign that connected habitats in Thailand are functioning—allowing tigers to move, settle, and contribute to landscape-scale population recovery.
2. Gamma is part of the first tiger litter ever born in Khlong Lan NP.
For over a decade, resident female tigers lived in Khlong Lan but never reproduced. The likely reason? Prey scarcity, especially sambar deer.
But after DNP and WWF Thailand began reintroducing sambar in 2022, everything changed.
F19—whose territory centers on the sambar release zone—became the first female to raise cubs there. Gamma’s birth is not just a family milestone; it’s ecological evidence that prey restoration leads directly to tiger reproduction.
Another remarkable detail is the family’s long journey across Thailand’s forests. Years ago, F19—Gamma’s mother—moved from Thung Yai Naresuan (East) Wildlife Sanctuary to Khlong Lan National Park. Gamma was later born in Khlong Lan, and now he has followed in her footsteps, dispersing further north into Lan Sang National Park. It’s as if this legacy of movement is carried in their DNA, passed from one generation to the next, keeping the ancient tiger pathways alive.
3. Mae Wong – Khlong Lan is becoming a source of tigers for the wider landscape.
In a recent scientific paper (Steinmetz et al. 2025 Ecological Applications), WWF researchers highlighted a crucial point:
Even landscapes with low reproduction can still contribute tigers to the broader metapopulation if cubs survive and disperse elsewhere.
Gamma proves this.
Despite relying on immigration from Thung Yai Naresuan (East), Mae Wong–Khlong Lan is not a “sink” population. With prey recovery and sambar reintroductions improving conditions, this landscape is now sending tigers outward, supporting recovery across nearby protected areas—including Lan Sang.
Gamma’s journey is living proof of this ecological insight.
A Small Cub, A Big Hope
F19 and Gamma
From a tiny cub with a unique stripe pattern to a young explorer carving out his place in Thailand’s forests, Gamma’s story reflects more than his own resilience—it reflects a hopeful new chapter for tiger recovery in the Mae Wong–Khlong Lan forests.
His survival tells us that:
- grasslands restored for prey are working
- sambar reintroductions are boosting reproduction
- connected forest corridors are allowing dispersal
- and this landscape is once again giving tigers back to Thailand’s wild
Gamma’s journey is still unfolding.
But today, we celebrate him—not just as a tiger, but as a symbol of what determined conservation efforts can achieve.
From Khlong Lan to Lan Sang, Gamma carries the story of a forest coming back to life.
