Captured tigers to be released to the wild

BY SHALIGRAM NEPAL,Chitwan, Nov. 19: The seven enclosures at Chitwan National Park are currently filled with tigers. These tigers were captured after they had entered human settlements and caused trouble to the locals. 

According to Chitwan National Park Information Officer Avinash Thapa Magar, these tigers were captured within the past five years. He informed that now all the enclosures of the national park have been occupied. 

The park’s Chief Conservation Officer Ganesh Pant said that the tigers were released back into their natural habitats only after studying their behaviour and confirming subtleness in their behaviour.

Pant informed that these captured tigers were kept in the enclosures for rehabilitation. Additionally, captured tigers from other districts were also brought to Chitwan’s enclosures. However, since all the enclosures were full and no new ones had been constructed, there was no space to accommodate additional tigers, he added. 

Spokesperson Thapa Magar said that they even lack budget for constructing new enclosures and feeding the tigers daily. He said, “The park’s budget does not allocate funds specifically for feeding captured tigers. Despite this, expenses are being managed through contributions from the Nature Conservation Fund and other supporting conservation organisations.”

Currently, tigers are housed in the Kasara, Devnagar and eastern Sauraha areas of the park. Each tiger is fed seven kilograms of buffalo flesh daily, costing approximately Rs. 4,200 per day per tiger. Due to the financial strain, requests for budget allocation have been made, but no response has been received from the department, said Thapa Magar.

Chief Conservation Officer Pant emphasised that keeping tigers in enclosures for long periods was not ideal, as it did not replicate their natural habitat. He said, “Tigers are released into the wild as soon as their behaviour shows signs of improvement. Health check-ups and studies on the tigers are conducted regularly by veterinarians, ensuring their well-being.”

Dr. Bijay Shrestha, Senior Veterinarian at Chitwan National Park, said that while the tigers had been in captivity for five years, no major health issues had been observed. Although captivity was not as ideal as their natural habitat, the tigers remained in good health.