The census of Bengal tigers has begun in the
Suklaphanta Wildlife Reserve through camera trapping technology on
Thursday. The administration of the popular wildlife reserve, which is
spread over an area of 3,500 sq km, stated that they will be counting
the tigers at the reserve using the technology for a period of one
month.
Stating that the counting of the elusive big cats will be
conducted in two phases spanning 15 days each, Bed Kumar Dhakal, chief
conservation officer at the Reserve said that unlike previous years when
the programme was conducted at conserved areas nationwide, the
programme will be conducted only in the wildlife reserves and national
parks with low tiger count this year. Dhakal further informed that the
programme will also be conducted in Parsa Wildlife Reserve and Banke
National Park. The programme is being conducted with active
participation of the National Trust for Nature Conservation (NTNC),
Reserve officials and Nepal Army personnel deployed for the security of
the Suklaphanta Wildlife Reserve.
According to Dhakal, the
programme is conducted every year at conserved areas with low tiger
population to keep track of the elusive big cats. During the tiger
counting and monitoring conducted at the reserve last year, 11-17 adult
striped tigers were spotted. There were 27 stripped tigers at the
reserve during the first tiger counting and monitoring conducted about
one and a half decades ago. However, the number had been decreasing ever
since, falling down to an average of 6-8 coming into the year 2008. An
increase in their number had only been witnessed after 2011 when 10
tigers were found, which gradually increased to 17 last year.
Meanwhile,
Hemant Yadav, coordinator of NTNC, Kanchanpur programme said that
training classes for participants in the tiger census had been started
since last Sunday.
“A 22 member team will count the tigers with
the help of 46 automated cameras,” Yadav said, adding that camera
trapping was the most effective and reliable
technology to keep a tab on tiger population in a given area.
The
population of these majestic creatures—which is estimated to be around
3200—has been decreasing by the year in all tiger habitats across the
world. Hence, the Tiger Range Countries (TRC) have started conservation
programmes to double the number of tigers left in the wild by 2022.
According
to the Department of National Park and Wildlife Conservation, the
number of striped tigers stood at 176 within various conserved areas in
Nepal until last year.
A sub-adult female rhino was fitted with a satellite collar on Thursday
and released into wild in Khata corridor that connects Bardiya National
Park in Nepal with Katerniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary in India. Data
retrieved from the satellite collar will provide key insights to habitat
use and movement patterns of rhinos along the corridor. The collaring
initiative was led by the Department of National Parks and Wildlife
Conservation(DoNPWC) and Department of Forests with the support of WWF
Nepal, National Trust for Nature Conservation, and local communities.
“This is the first time that we have selected a corridor as a collaring
site for rhinos,” said to Tika Ram Adhikary, director general of the
DoNPWC.
“The corridors serve an important contiguous function in
the Terai Arc Landscape and with the help of this study we hope to gain
from useful insights in conservation that will benefit wildlife and
people on both sides of the trans-boundary landscape.”
मै बहुत धैर्यवान हूँ, सच बोलना और सुनना पसंद है,
