Nepal close to doubling Tiger population by 2022

Kathmandu: Nepal`s tiger population has increased by 64 per cent in the last five years and the country plans to double their numbers by 2022, government said today.

Addressing a gathering here on the occasion of World Tiger Day, Minister for Forest and Soil Conservation Mahesh Acharya said that tiger population in Nepal has increased by 64 per cent from 2009 to 2013. "The current population of tiger in the country is estimated to be 198, up from 121 in 2009," Acharya said. The minister also expressed confidence that Nepal would easily achieve its target of doubling its tiger population to 250 by 2022. Pointing out that the loss of habitat, human-animal conflict, organised poaching and illegal wildlife trade were the major threats in tiger conservation efforts of the government, the minister suggested that Nepal needs to work in collaboration with tiger reserves in India for better results. Director General, Department of National Park and Wildlife Conservation Megh Bahadur Pandey said that Nepal was among the leading countries in the world in tiger conservation efforts owing to its strong security arrangement, regular tiger monitoring mechanism and participatory conservation efforts. Chitawan National Park is the largest tiger sanctuary in Nepal, which is home to 120 tigers, followed by Bardia National Park with 50 tigers, 17 in Shuklaphanta Wildlife Reserve, seven in Parsa Wildlife Reserve and four in Banke National Park. World Tiger Day is celebrated on July 29 every year to raise awareness about tiger conservation efforts throughout the world.