The population of the big cats at both Bardia and Banke National Parks, which are located in the Mid-Western Region, has increased, according to a recent survey conducted by park officials. Both parks are best known for tiger sightings and their habitation.According to Ambika Prasad Kathiwada, chief of the Bardia Conservation Program (BCP) under the National Trust for Nature Conservation (NTNC), the number of tigers habitating Bardia National Park (BNP) now exceeds 50. During the survey of 2013, the number was around 40.
Similar has been the development of the tiger population at Banke National Park. The number has now reached 6, up from 4 in the 2013 survey. High-tech camera trapping was used in capturing images of tigers inside the park.
"The number of tigers in both the parks has increased and we have vivid evidence to prove this. The survey started at the end of 2014 and ended in 2015. Thanks to the involvement of local communities, security forces and various organizations, tigers have now found a better home at both national parks," said Kathiwada.
Director General at the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC), Tikaram Adhikari, said the number of tigers has increased right across the country.
Nepal signed the 'St Peterburg Declaration on Tiger Conservation' in 2009 to express its commitment to double the number of tigers by 2022. The goal was to increase the numbers from 121 to 250. Four years later in 2013, the tiger numbers reached 198 from 121.
"If we look at the population of tigers in Nepal since 2013, the number does show an increasing trend. It is a proud achievement but there are a lot of things to be done still in the coming days," said Adhikari.
Meanwhile, on the occasion of the fifth World Tiger Day, government official and representatives from WWF Nepal brought together youths in events related to tiger conservation. During the program, the officials also promised to strengthen their efforts to double the tiger population by 2022.
As per the records at DNPWC, there are currently 198 tigers in Nepal. Among these, 120 are in Chitwan National Park (CNP), 50 in Bardiya National Park, 17 in Shukla Phanta Wildlife Reserve, 7 in Parsa Wildlife Reserve and 4 in Banke National Park.
"Conservation and protection of tigers has always been a mutually complementary effort. This is a major task that has been shared by us with the neighboring country and we have made significant progress over the years," Adhikari added.
It is estimated that there were more than 100,000 tigers across 30 countries about a century ago. Now this population has declined to 3,200.
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