Nepal doubles Tiger Population

The number of top carnivores in the country has doubled in a decade, evoking compliments and praises for our authorities for their impressive conservation efforts. That the number of Royal Bengal Tigers went up from 121 in 2010 to 355 in 2022 is not a mean feat. Such an emphatic outcome can be achieved through a careful implementation of conservation programmes that included effective preservation of the tiger habitats, stopping poaching, killing and accidental death of the beautiful animals. It is indeed heartening to see the significant rise in the number of Royal Bengal Tigers in Nepal, of which the number had decreased until 2010, raising the fear that the species would be wiped out from the country. The conservation efforts from the concerned national and international organisations as well as various individuals and, most importantly, the Nepali Army, paid off as the tiger population has now been brought back on track.

With this success, Nepal's commitment to double the tiger population in a decade has met. The country made its commitment at the Global Conference held in St. Petersburg, Russia, where 13 tiger-range countries, including Nepal, have participated to devise plans to raise the number of big cats, considered an endangered species needing appropriate conservation measures to stop them from becoming extinct. An official report made public on Global Tiger Day has revealed that the Chitwan National Park has 128 Royal Bengal Tigers, the highest among all national parks in the nation. Bardiya National Park shelters 125, Parsa National Park 41, Suklaphanta 36 and Banke 25. This further shows that our national parks have been successful in providing safer habitats as well as an abundance of prey to the big wild cats.

The impressive rise in the tiger population buoyed the government and the Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, who hailed the increase of tigers at a programme on Friday. PM Deuba, who was at the government's helm when Nepal made its commitment in Russia, lauded the conservation efforts stating that the conservation of the top carnivore is an indication of a healthy ecosystem. He added that since the tigers are unique, rare animals of nature, they are important from an ecological, cultural and tourism points of view. He also asked the authorities to carry out necessary research to overcome the challenges in the conservation of the beautiful animals, which are also a top tourist attraction in national parks. 

With the appreciable rise in the tiger population, come other challenges. One of the challenges is the shortage of prey that forces them to venture out of their safe habitats in search of food. Likewise, the shrinkage of tiger habitats, often by human encroachment, creates a situation where humans and tigers come face-to-face, leading to the deaths of the animal or humans living nearby. Such a situation calls for better maintenance of tiger habitats, prey and controlling of human encroachment. Likewise, the authorities need to protect human life and settlements from the attacks of big cats as residents depend on the nearby forests for their livelihood. The beautiful yet shy animals must get a chance to roam freely and safely in the jungles where they can spend life by preying on the abundance of foods and raising their cubs so that they would not go out of reckoning from the country.