Chiang mai: Tiger tracks were found in the Doi Inthanon forest area. Officials found traces of a tiger that had killed three cows belonging to villagers, after a hunting operation involving camera traps and thermal drones surveying the Doi Inthanon forest area and near where the cow carcasses were found. According to Thai News Agency, this morning, a team tasked with hunting tigers in the Doi Inthanon forest area, led by Mr. Jiriniti Choengsaad, head of Doi Inthanon National Park, Mr. Mongkol Safuwong, head of the Doi Chiang Dao Wildlife Research Station, and veterinarians, held a meeting to plan the tracking of a tiger that two days ago attacked and killed three cows belonging to villagers in the forest area of Ban Mae Pa Ko, Ban Luang Subdistrict. The tiger hunt operation is underway. Officials have placed camera traps around the area where tiger footprints and tracks were found and are investigating whether any traces are present. A team has also been deployed to survey the forest floor, including the lo cation where a cow carcass and tiger footprints were found near a community within Doi Inthanon National Park. Meanwhile, drones were used to detect heat, with the hunting team hoping to obtain images to accurately track the tiger's movement path. Villagers were also instructed to herd their livestock into pens and to be extra vigilant to prevent a recurrence of the incident. During the meeting, officials noted that the footprints, measuring 6-7 centimeters, could belong to either a Bengal tiger or a leopard, which have never been seen in the area before. However, checks of nearby tiger enclosures revealed no escaped tigers. The latest operation to hunt the tiger has yielded results. Officials found "fresh tiger tracks" less than 100 meters from a stream and about 1 kilometer from where the cow carcass was found. Mr. Wacharin Pojnabandit, the village headman who saw the tiger, confirmed that its stripes were those of a Bengal tiger, not spots like a leopard. The hunting team is currently investigating.