Hidden Cameras Snap Rare Photos of Bengal Tiger and Cubs

It might be difficult -- not to mention potentially dangerous -- to measure the Bengal tiger population first hand, so the World Wildlife Federation in India set up "camera traps" to help measure the density. The rare photos caught with hidden cameras shows a thriving population, according to the WWF release.

WWF reports seeing at least 13 tigers in the Kosi River corridor in northern India’s Terai Arc Landscape, which will have implications for conservation efforts of the endangered animal. Wired reports the most recent survey by the International Union for Conservation of Nature cited less than 2,500 Bengal tigers worldwide. India is home to more than half.

"Knowing the tiger numbers and their movement routes in a corridor would provide a sound database in taking decisions on developmental activities within and around the corridor," WWF-India's Tiger Coordinator Joseph Vattakaven said.

The release states that the photos captured a tigress and her cubs feeding on a cow, for which the owner was compensated by WWF-India to prevent retaliation against the animals. The area where the photo was taken has some of the highest cattle kills, with 1,000 deaths in the most recently measured five year period.