CHITWAN, March 24: As Nepal's tiger population increases, there is a growing need to expand their habitat areas.
Although national parks, buffer zones, and other forest areas serve as tiger habitats, the problem of shrinking habitats has become apparent in recent years due to the rising number of tigers.
Speaking at an interaction program organized by Chitwan National Park today, Haribhadra Acharya, senior ecologist at the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, emphasized the need to expand tiger habitats.
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He noted that the tiger population has been steadily increasing over the past five years, underscoring the need for additional habitat. "There is a need to protect tigers by keeping them in open zoos," he said, adding that such open zoos could also be linked to income-generating activities.
The number of tigers in Nepal has grown from 121 in 2009 to 355 in 2022. The tiger population stood at 198 in 2013 and 253 in 2018.
Acharya stated that, due to the increase in tiger numbers, their available habitat area has decreased by 93 percent.
In recent years, the focus on conservation efforts has contributed significantly to the rise in Nepal's tiger population. According to Acharya, the country’s forest areas have the capacity to support around 500 tigers. "It appears that the core areas of the parks alone can accommodate up to 404 tigers," he added.
He also highlighted the need to protect the deer species, which are the main prey of tigers. Additionally, tigers hunt monkeys and domestic animals for food.
Acharya mentioned that around 100 years ago, there were about 100,000 tigers in the world. However, that number has now declined to approximately 5,000.
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