Tigers, Scorpions, Mudsildes.

The article focuses on the attempt made by the wildlife biologists to estimate tiger population. Tiger experts are hailing a recent study of the tiger population in Malaysia as something of a landmark in research and conservation of the animals. The study, by the University of Florida graduate Kae Kawanishi, provides the first scientifically rigorous estimate of a tiger population in Malaysia. Based on 61 photos of tigers taken by self-activating cameras in Taman Negara National Park, a 4,343 sq km protected area that is one of the largest parks in Southeast Asia, Kawanishi used population models to estimate that the park supported a population of between 52 and 84 adult tigers. But while her results are important, the nearly three years that Kawanishi endured in the rain forest also highlight the challenges and sacrifices faced by many wildlife biologists. Among other potentially important findings, Kawanishi informed that the team also captured the first evidence of a rare bird, the storm's stork, in the park. During her time in the rain forest, Kawanishi never saw a tiger-but her 61 photos of the animals were just enough for the study to succeed.