Efforts are underway to push the elderly tiger "Mae Pin" back to the Western Forest for the third time after she secretly attacked villagers' livestock—chickens, pigs, and dogs—with several animals killed, causing fear. Officials recently detected the GPS collar signal in Khlong Lan district, Kamphaeng Phet province, where she was found resting comfortably on her back.
On 12 August 2026 GMT+7. This concerns the female Indochinese tiger (Mae Pin), code HKK236F. She is about 13 years old, weighs around 120 kilograms, with a body length of approximately 2.5 meters. She is blind in her right eye and can only see with her left eye, and most of her lower teeth have fallen out. Mae Pin primarily inhabits the Huai Kha Khaeng World Heritage Forest and Mae Wong National Park but has repeatedly left these conservation areas to prey on livestock in community areas, causing damage in Mae Poen and Mae Wong districts of Nakhon Sawan province, and Khlong Lan and Pang Sila Thong districts of Kamphaeng Phet province.
These four districts border the Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary and the Western Forest Complex, including Mae Wong and Khlong Lan National Parks, forming a large natural forest area spanning Uthai Thani, Kamphaeng Phet, and Nakhon Sawan provinces.
This forest complex serves as a habitat and wildlife corridor for tigers, wild elephants, and other large animals moving between Huai Kha Khaeng and the Mae Wong-Khlong Lan forests within the Western Forest Complex.
According to reporters, this is the third time since 4 August that Mae Pin has entered the Khlong Lan forest area within Khlong Lan National Park.
Previously, in two incidents during March, forest rangers successfully captured Mae Pin in Ban Tak Fa, Pang Ta Wai subdistrict, Pang Sila Thong district, Kamphaeng Phet province, after she killed two pigs in a pen. Another attack occurred in Ban Khlong Baeng, Mae Lai subdistrict, Mae Wong district, Nakhon Sawan province, where she bit pigs in two pens, injuring two and killing eight. She was then moved to a rehabilitation cage at Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Breeding Station.
This time, the Office of Conservation Area 12 mobilized forces to search for Mae Pin after detecting her GPS collar signal outside the protected area for the third time since 6 August over several days.
Ms. Chayaporn Amradit, Director of Conservation Area 12, along with Ms. Sujitra Trakulert, Director of National Parks Division, Mr. Weerapong Korawat, Director of Conservation and Protection Division, Mr. Komsan Maneekan, Head of Mae Wong National Park, Mr. Somchai Wichienkalyarat, Head of Khlong Lan National Park, Mr. Natthaphong Khongkaphan, Head of Huai Thap Sela-Huai Rabam Wildlife Sanctuary, and technical staff inspected the case of Mae Pin leaving the protected area. They collaborated with officials from Khlong Lan, Mae Wong, and Khlong Wang Chao National Parks, Huai Thap Sela-Huai Rabam Wildlife Sanctuary, Khao Nang Ram Wildlife Research Station, Mae Wong-Khlong Lan Fire Control Station, Sub Tameng Forest and Wildlife Protection Unit, and the legal enforcement patrol of the Office of Conservation Area 12 (Nakhon Sawan) to discuss locating Mae Pin.
More than 50 park officials integrated forces to search for and monitor Mae Pin every night to safely push her back into the protected forest area.
Mae Pin is an elderly female tiger who has relinquished her hunting grounds to her two cubs. Coupled with her declining physical condition, she has been forced out of the protected forest by younger tigers competing for territory, making it difficult for her to survive in the wild.
Struggling to survive, she resorts to hunting vulnerable or defenseless animals such as livestock—chickens, dogs, and pigs—in villages near the national park forest area.
Wildlife experts and officials agree that Mae Pin should be captured and relocated to a suitable habitat. Plans include setting bait and traps and using tranquilizer darts multiple times at various locations.
Officials last detected Mae Pin's GPS collar signal on 6 August 2026 at 5:00 a.m. near Khao Chang around Ban Ruang Phueng, Khlong Nam Lai subdistrict, marking her third excursion outside the protected area. She re-entered the community zone, with tracks heading back toward the Khlong Lan forest.
At midnight on 11 August, Mae Pin attacked a dog in Ban Suan Som, Village No. 2, Khlong Lan Phatthana subdistrict, Khlong Lan district, at the same site where she had previously killed chickens.
The search team used a thermal drone combined with GPS collar tracking, locating Mae Pin hiding in the forest of Khlong Lan National Park near Ban Suan Som, Village No. 2, Khlong Lan Phatthana subdistrict, and Village No. 25, Khlong Nam Lai subdistrict, Khlong Lan district, Kamphaeng Phet province. She was found lying comfortably on her back, likely resting after eating, in the forested area behind the durian orchard at Khao Chang.
Officials established a perimeter covering over 20 rai along the national park boundary near the village, where locals mostly raise pigs and cattle. They placed bait to lure Mae Pin. Veterinary teams waited concealed, ready to use a compressed air tranquilizer rifle, carefully calculating the dosage based on her weight to safely sedate her without endangering her life.
Sources report that multiple agency officials have agreed on how to handle this elderly tiger Mae Pin. The decision is to capture her and not return her to the previous site at Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Breeding Station in Uthai Thani. Instead, she will be relocated to a suitable wildlife sanctuary, already identified by the Department of National Parks but not yet disclosed. The area must be suitable for her survival, have sufficient territory and prey, and be free of competing younger tigers.
For example, Phu Khiao Wildlife Sanctuary, also known as Thung Kamang, located in Chaiyaphum province, covering Khon San, Kaset Sombun, and Nong Bua Daeng districts, is a large, highly fertile forest area. This would prevent her from returning to community villages and ensure safety without fear.
A local villager, 65-year-old Chumphon Thana from 110/5 Moo 2, Ban Suan Som, Khlong Lan Phatthana subdistrict, Khlong Lan district, recounted that he farms corn, palm, cassava, and fruit, while raising cattle and chickens near the edge of Khlong Lan National Park. Officials warned that a tiger had been spotted near the village, but he did not expect it to kill 20 chickens in the first incident. The second night, the tiger attacked a dog tied near the cattle pen. He quickly moved the cattle about 2 kilometers into the village for safety. He now fears going to his fields and waits for officials to capture the tiger before returning. The park authorities have compensated him 1,000 baht for the lost livestock.
1. On 25 February 2026, tiger tracks were found near Ban Tak Fa Phatthana, Moo 5, and Ban Phaisawan, Moo 4, Pang Ta Wai subdistrict, Pang Sila Thong district, Kamphaeng Phet province, on the outskirts of Mae Wong National Park. One tiger was involved.
2. On 28 February 2026 at 23:45, villagers reported a tiger attacking pigs inside a pigpen at Ban Tak Fa Phatthana, Moo 5, Pang Ta Wai subdistrict, Pang Sila Thong district, Kamphaeng Phet province.
3. On 1 March 2026, officials detected the tiger via a thermal drone near a sugarcane field about 300 meters from the pigpen and set up 24-hour surveillance to monitor the tiger's behavior closely.
4. On 3 March 2026 at 20:00, officials successfully captured the tiger using scientific methods.
Afterward, at 1:00 a.m., they relocated and released the tiger back into the wild near Yang Daeng Ranger Station, Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary.
5. On 10 March 2026, the GPS collar alerted that Mae Pin had left Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary and approached agricultural areas in Ban Pang Sak, Mae Poen subdistrict, Mae Poen district, Nakhon Sawan province. Officials resumed 24-hour monitoring of her behavior.
6. On 11 March 2026 at 22:15, officials pushed Mae Pin to return to the conservation forest and continued tracking her movements via GPS collar.
7. On 13 March 2026 at 03:00, Mae Pin attacked pigs in Ban Khlong Baeng, Mae Lai subdistrict, Mae Wong district, Nakhon Sawan province, attacking two pigpens, injuring two pigs and killing eight.
8. From 13 to 17 March 2026, officials maintained 24-hour surveillance and close monitoring of the tiger's behavior.
9. On 17 March 2026 at 20:30, officials successfully captured the tiger and immediately transferred her to a rehabilitation cage at Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Breeding Station, where she was confined at around midnight.