Nepal doubles its tiger population, raising hope for global recovery of endangered big cats

Camera traps have aided conservationists monitor Nepal’s wild tiger population, which has more than doubled as the big cats make a comeback from the verge of extinction.

After 10 years of dedicated effort to protect tigers, an analysis of over 2,700 kilometers (1,700 miles) of Nepal’s lowlands completed earlier this year revealed, after years of decline, the population has expanded from 121 in 2009 to about 235 today.

“Just like our fingerprints, tigers have unique stripes. No two tigers are alike Man Bahadur Khadka”, department of wildlife and national parks

department of wildlife and national parks

Ghatwal Chaudhary, among the few locals who undertook difficult surveys, trained in the field of Nepal’s Bardia National Park, where wild tiger numbers have doubled.

The 25-year-old helped catalog the images taken by remote cameras by exploring a broken-down jungle backdrop. In 2010, the St Petersburg tiger summit brought together representatives from all of the 13 countries that are home to tigers.

In the next five years, summit participants pledged to double the world’s tiger population under the Tx2 framework.

“Every tiger counts, for Nepal and for the world,” said Dr Ghana Gurung, WWF-Nepal’s country representative.

The cameras’ sensors used a click whenever they detected movement or a temperature shift. Soon after the trickling of photos began, couples took their adorable cubs for a walk, mothers came bearing fresh kills for their children, and then a solitary tiger ate its kill. And Chaudhary’s favorite: a big cat that seemed to enjoy preening in front of the mirror.

Over a few months, tiger census plans were accompanied by instrumental methods to quantify the total of populaces.

Leonardo DiCaprio, whose foundation has subsidized tiger conservation in Nepal’s Bardia National Park and who has volunteered on the WWF-US board, is a recipient of the Légion d’honneur, said: “Nepal has been a leader in efforts to double tiger numbers within its own borders and serves as a model for conservation for all of Asia and the world.”

In the middle of the Himalayas, Nepal is the site of 5 national parks. These parks were then gridded with the help of camera traps, used to watch for wild tigers.

More than 3,200 special camera traps were set up in the jungle, some by elephants to navigate through dense brush. “It was not an easy process and risky as well,” said Man Bahadur Khadka, head of Nepal’s department of wildlife and national parks. There were sensors in these cameras that triggered a click when they detected movement or a change in temperature.

Nepal has stood out as an activist in its dedication to saving big cats, such as rhinos, from unethical hunting practices.

Being a endangered species, Tigers now face many threats, out of which habitat loss and conflict with local people are two major contributors. Poaching and the black market for wildlife, however, are by far the greatest threat they face.

The demand for various tiger body parts, bones, and skin, which are used to manufacture traditional medicines, has led to the investment of large sums of money by criminal networks into those able to murders them.

Conservationists hope the effective policing of national parks and anti-poaching will show an example of how to move forward in Nepal.

“Our commitment to the global tiger recovery program gains new ground with Nepal’s growing tiger numbers and successful implementation of Nepal’s tiger conservation action plan,” said Bishwa Nath Oli, secretary of the ministry of forests and environment in Nepal.

“Protecting tigers is a top priority of the government, and we are thankful for the able support of our partners, enforcement agencies, local communities and the international community for a common purpose.”said Bishwa Nath Oli, secretary of the ministry of forests and environment in Nepal.

References: www.independent.co.uk
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