Tiger Conservationists’ Meeting in Nepal

Tiger is one of the most attractive, ferocious and endangered animal in the world. Lack of proper food, habitat and poaching are the causes of decline in number of tigers. Nepal, India, Bhutan, China, Bangladesh, Thailand, Myanmar, Russia, Combodia, Mangolia, Malayasia, Lawos and South Korea are the countries where tigers are found.

Thus, to formulate the common agenda and strategy for preservation of tiger, 210 tiger specialists, analysts, and conservationists of the world are attending a meeting on 26th October 2009 in Kathmandu along with a subsequent four-day Global Tiger Workshop.

This is 2nd year of Nepal being the president of GTF. As being president country of Global Tiger Forum (GTF), the meeting is organized in Nepal in special proposal and sponsorship of World Bank and its sister organizations such as Global Tiger Initiative, Save the Tiger fund America, World Wildlife Federation (WWF), International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) etc. Tigers are also listed in the IUCN Red List book.

Conserving habitats of tigers, banning international trade, identification of proper place for tiger and conservation of small animals that tigers depend on are the main matter of discussion. Obviously, the meeting aims to aid to increase the number of tigers in the world. Besides, it will propose for enlarging the Bardia National conservation area to double of its total area. The conference will also fix the place for next ministerial tiger conference. GTF members have decided to celebrate the year 2010 as “The Tiger year.”

It is said that are about 3000 to 4000 tigers in the world. According to survey results publicized about 2 months ago, there are about 1 hundred and 21 young tigers in Nepal where Chitwan National Parks acquires 91, Bardia National Park acquires 18, Shuklanphant Wildlife Reserve acquires 8 and Parsa Wildlife Reserve acquires only 4. Only Chitwan National Park has satisfactory number of tigers but others’ are very pitiful. Camera trapping had trapped 27 tigers in 2006 in Shuklanphant Wildlife Reserve, but within 3 years 19 tigers disappeared dramatically.

Since 1999, tigers are being counted every 5 years. There were about 123 adult tigers in Nepal in 1999. “If there had been no theft and illegal hunting of tigers, the number of tigers would have reached to 400. If appropriate environment and condition is created population of tiger grows fast because as soon as cubs grow, they are ready for reproduction,” said Deputy Director General of Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, Megh Bahadur Pandey.