Tigers Day is being celebrated all over the world including Nepal on Thursday.
Since the announcement of the World Tiger Forum by Russia in 2010, July 29 has been celebrated as World Tiger Day every year.
In Nepal, the government aims to double the number of tigers by 2022. Conservation programs are underway to increase the number of tigers from 121 to 250 in 2010.
In the far west, Shuklaphanta National Park is also considered important in terms of tiger conservation. There are 16 tigers in the unorganized Shuklaphanta National Park in Kanchanpur district.
Assistant Conservation Officer Rabin Chaudhary, who is also the Information Officer of the Shuklaphanta National Park Office, said that according to the census conducted in 2018 BS, there are 9 males, 6 females, and one gender without identification.
Although the tiger was last counted in the park, no official figures have been released.
It is estimated that the number has increased from three years ago. But as calculated in 2018, the number of tigers is lower than in previous years and equal to the number in 1995.
When the park office first counted the number of tigers in 1995, it was 16. The number rose to 26 in 2002 but dropped to 18 in 2005.
In the national census conducted in 2013, the number reached 17 and in 2018 it was limited to 16.
Chaudhary, the park’s assistant conservation officer, said the numbers were calculated on the basis of footpaths in 1995, 2002, and 2005 without a camera tapping system.
According to him, only in 2013, the park started counting tigers through camera tapping.
The head of the park says – the number of tigers has increased, we will make it public soon
Chief Conservation Officer of Shuklaphanta National Park Dil Bahadur Purjapun says that the number of tigers has increased compared to 2018 BS.
Purjapun said that there are 16 tigers in the park and the number of female tigers is expected to improve as compared to three years ago.
“We have done the fieldwork of counting the number of tigers. Preparations were made to release the new numbers on the occasion of Tiger Day on Thursday, but due to technical reasons, it was not completed, ‘Purjapun told online news.’
We estimate that the number of female tigers has increased compared to last year. Now we will finish the remaining work and make it public soon. ‘
Conservation programs have been launched to double the number of tigers in Shuklaphanta as per the target set by the government.
“We are trying our best to double the number of tigers,” he said.
Conservationists say tiger conservation has been challenged by increasing encroachment in Shuklaphanta National Park, poaching by illegal entry, overgrazing, and lack of food.
