Save our tigers

Finally, conservation initiatives to save the endangered Royal Bengal Tigers of Nepal seem to be paying off. Going by the new government report prepared by the Department of National Park and Wildlife Conservation, the number of adult breeding tigers in Chitwan has risen from 91 in 2008-09 to 121 this year. The total number of big cats in Chitwan alone is now 144 with 23 more sub-adults found during the new count. Previously, the total number of tigers in Nepal was considered to be just 121. The new monitoring conducted from November last year to April this year encompassed the Chitwan National Park (CNP) area and the Chure region, which was excluded during last tiger census. The Department, along with Warden Office of CNP, National Trust for Nature Conservation, WWF-Nepal and Nepal Army personnel were involved in the counting. This is a huge achievement and thus the government agencies along with the conservation partners engaged in tiger and its habit preservation must be applauded for the success. The new survey result will be inducted in the country profile that will be presented at the upcoming Tiger Summit of Head of States to be held in St Petersburg in Russia in September. This will give a considerable mileage to Nepal in the international arena and will set an example before other South Asian countries to expedite their own initiatives to save the big cats from being extinct in the region.



The new report has come at a time when Nepal is widely believed to be a hub of illegal trade in tiger parts. It is considered a hot spot for export of tiger skins and bones from India to China, where tiger parts are used to manufacture traditional Chinese medicines. It would be appropriate to recall here that Nepal has made significant stride with its neighbors toward strengthening surveillance at border points to control the smuggling of tiger parts. A historic memorandum of understanding was signed between Nepal and China in June for controlling the illegal trade in animal parts. Interestingly, Nepal will sign a similar understanding with India today. In addition, Nepal is now a beneficiary of World Bank’s IDA (International Development Association) Fund of Rs 9 million, which will go toward saving the tiger habitat in three countries –Nepal, India, and Bangladesh.



The IDA Fund should also be used for strengthening the national parks and activating the much-talked about Wildlife Crime Control Bureau to be headed by the prime minister himself. However, Nepal lacks in the field of law enforcement. It is unfortunate that while the government is entering into big agreements and putting forth challenging agendas to save the tigers, poachers and dangerous criminals who often go scot-free in the country. The real success lies in cracking down on the criminal nexus that function in a very organized manner in the region. An effective regional coordination will prove much fruitful in this regard. Fittingly, this is the Year of Tiger according to Chinese calendar, and we should act now when the entire world is geared up to save the big cats.

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