Bardiya National Park faces food shortage to feed tigers

By Jyoti Panthi,Bardiya, Apr. 22: Bardiya National Park has been capturing and keeping the problematic Bengal tigers, which attack humans or pose threats, in enclosures for management and care. 

Currently, the park has five such tigers in captivity. However, there has been a shortage of food to feed the animals.

Two tigers are kept in the park, and three are in the Rambhapur Sector Wildlife Rescue Centre. The park has been facing difficulty in feeding these tigers adequately.

The tigers, captured from Geruwa Rural Municipality of Bardiya, Chitwan, Kanchanpur and Harre of Surkhet, had previously attacked humans. The park now provides them with care in captivity.

A Bengal tiger typically requires 30 to 35 kilograms of meat a day. However, the park administration has been feeding them only 7 kilograms of meat every other day. 

Acting Conservation Officer of Bardiya National Park, Saroj Mani Paudel, said that if tigers are fed in accordance with their dietary needs, their strength and aggression may increase, which is why the quantity of meat has been limited. However, he also admitted that the park was facing a shortage of food supplies for the tigers.

According to the park, although they provide a total of 505 kilograms of meat per month to the five tigers in Bardiya and Rambahapur posts, it is still not enough. Due to the high cost required to feed tigers in captivity, their food supply has been reduced.

Ranger Sant Bahadur Magar from Bardiya National Park said that since the animals had attacked humans in the past, releasing them from captivity poses a risk of violent attacks. Hence, they are being kept in enclosures.

The park estimates that over 500 kilograms of meat are required each month for the five tigers, but the budget allocated for purchasing meat is insufficient.