KATHMANDU, Nepal- Today July 29 is the day that the world is celebrating International Tiger Day. Here, different programmes are also being organized to celebrate it as the day to relay message for the protection of tiger, the beautiful creation of nature that is now on the verge of extinction.
National Trust for Nature Conservation is organizing a special programme at its office premises to declare the present status of tiger in Nepal. Ministries, government departments, organizations working on protection of tiger are said to attend the programme.
According to the Tiger Census carried out on 2008 there were 212 tigers in Nepal. In the study carried out last year by the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation along with the National Trust for Nature Conservation and WWF Nepal it was estimated that there were 37 tigers in Bardia National Park alone, up from 18 in 2009. Bardiya National Park is the prime location of Bengal tigers found in Nepal. Apart from Bardiya tigers are also found in Chitwan National Park and some other places in the hot Terai terrain of southern Nepal.
From 2009 the government in cooperation with WWF launched a multi-million pound global Tigers Alive appeal with the aim of doubling the number by 2022 and in May 2010, decided to establish the Bardiya National Park with a protected area of 550 square kilometres (210 sq mi), which bears good potential for tiger habitat.
According to the report by Global Tiger Forum, there are only 3500 tigers left in the wild with its populations estimated at 1,706–1,909 in India, 440 in Bangladesh, 124–229 in Nepal and 67–81 in Bhutan. Since 2010, it has been classified as an endangered species by the IUCN.
Despite various attempts from different quarters to protect the animal, experts say, increased encroachment of its natural habitat, poaching and lack of sufficient prey to feed it are the reasons behind decreasing number of the big cat.
