International Tiger Day: Nepal PM stress on conservation of tiger habitat

Nepal's newly elected Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has stressed on conservation and promotion of tiger habitat to increase its number and maintain the eco-system.

Addressing a program organised by National Nature Conservation Trust attended by delegates from various 13 nations who agreed to work together to preserve the wild cats, Deuba stressed on the preservation of its habitats.

"One of the major components of food chain and ecology, the tiger has high importance. That's why we need to give utmost priority towards preserving the vegetation that suits the tigers," Deuba said while addressing the program.

In the last census of 2018, Nepal has counted a total of 235 tigers in and around various places. As per the latest census of tigers, there are 93 tigers at Chitwan National Park, 87 in Bardiya National Park, 16 in Shuklaphanta, 21 in Banke and 18 in Parsa.

In the year 2013 the number of tigers, the major habitats have seen changes in number. The Chitwan National Park had recorded 120, Baridya 50, Suklaphanta 17, Parsa 7, Banke 4 tigers taking the toll to 198.

In the year 2009, the number of tigers in the Himalayan Nation was recorded to 121. Nepal has been conducting a Tiger census in a gap of every 4 years. Nepal at the end of the last decade along with 13 other countries had agreed on a framework to double the number of carnivores and has been inching closer to meet it.

Addressing the program for being one of the member nations that have joined hands in the preservation of tigers, the Indian Ambassador to Nepal Vinay Mohan Kwatra claimed that collaboration between the nations would be a cornerstone.

"This remarkable collaboration amongst 13 countries will always remain a cornerstone of what is possible when countries commit and work towards the focused issue. It is important that since 2010 the tiger numbers have been constantly increasing in several tiger rich countries including India, Nepal, Bhutan and Russia."

World Tiger Statistics released in 2016 had recorded a total of 2,226 big cats in India, 433 in Russia, 371 in Indonesia, 250 in Malaysia, 198 in Nepal, 189 in Thailand, 106 in Bangladesh, 103 in Bhutan, 7 in China, 5 in Vietnam and 2 in Laos.

Nepal has set a target of taking the number of tigers to 250 by 2022 increasing the number by two folds. The next tiger census in the Himalayan Nation will be made on 2022 itself.

( With inputs from ANI )