Tiger reappearance in Medog highlights the conservation values of the region for this apex predator

In less than a century, Asia’s largest apex predator, the tiger (Panthera tigris), has been relegated to isolated populations surviving in only a small fraction of its historical range. The Medog region, located in Xizang Zizhiqu (Tibet), China, is an important stronghold for this ecologically important apex predator. To enhance our knowledge of the status of tigers in the Medog region, we carried out a systematic camera trapping survey combined with socioecological data collection between April 2020 and May 2022. We surveyed a 1 769 km² area across the Medog region, with a total valid sampling effort of 43 163 camera days from 322 camera stations. We also collected socioecological data from 27 forest rangers. We documented tigers at eight camera trapping stations at two villages separated by the Jinzhu Tsangpo River, confirming the presence of at least one adult male individual within the Medog region. These new records were observed over 80 km northeast of the first record in 2019. Additionally, residents reported tiger sightings in 2020 and likely tiger pugmarks in 2021. These spatially and temporally separate records of tigers in the Medog region provide valuable data for informing species-oriented conservation management and highlight the importance of the region for tiger movement and population expansion. However, although encouraging, our survey also detected human activities that may threaten tigers and their potential prey. Ensuring the future survival of tigers in the Medog region entails anti-poaching patrols and long-term camera trapping efforts. In addition, it is also important to identify and establish corridors that connect the Medog region with the adjacent Zangnan region, which also harbors an important population of tigers.