The BBC's Natural History Unit has discovered the world's highest living tigers during an expedition to the remote Himalayas in Bhutan. With only about 3,000 tigers left in the wild, the discovery is a breakthrough for tiger survival.
Working with tiger conservationists and scientists the team, from BBC One's 'Lost Land Of The Tiger', filmed the tigers over 4,000 metres high up in the Himalayas. The footage is the first real evidence that tigers are resident and breeding at this altitude. The BBC's expedition team was working with the Bhutan Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry aided by Forest Officer Phup Tshering.
The expedition team, which included climber and naturalist Steve Backshall, wildlife cameraman Gordon Buchanan, scientist Dr George McGavin, camerawoman Justine Evans and world renowned tiger conservationist Dr Alan Rabinowitz, used camera traps to capture the footage of the adult female and male tiger. The cameras were left in place for three months and as well as tigers, filmed red foxes, jungle cats, leopards, and even a red panda.
The male is seen to be scent marking on the film which indicates that this is his territory and he is not just passing through while the female is lactating which suggests that the animals are breeding at this height. The team was following tips by local people who had seen tracks in the area.
For tiger expert Dr Rabinowitz, knowing that tigers are living at this height takes conservationists one step closer towards an ambitious plan to link up the isolated tiger populations throughout Asia with a tiger "corridor." The proposed corridor would enable individual tigers a sanctuary to move between areas safe from human impact so they can breed more widely.
Dr Rabinowitz said, "Tigers are thought of as jungle creatures and there is pressure on their habitats from all sides. Yet we now know they can live and breed at this altitude which is a safer habitat for them. Bhutan was the missing link in this tiger corridor." He said the findings would be taken to the governments of the region.
Dr Rabinowitz is the founder of Panthera – a tiger conservation organisation which is campaigning for a "tiger corridor". Bhutan is the missing link in the proposed 2000 km area encompassing four countries.
Gordon Buchanan, who was reduced to tears when he made the filming discovery in the camera traps, said, "This is such a significant discovery for tiger survival. The tigers' behaviour suggests they are breeding and I am convinced that there must now be cubs somewhere on this mountain."
