In Nepal, the population of wild tigers has almost tripled in twelve years
The Nepalese wild tiger population has doubled since 2009, to 355 individuals in 2022. © Pixabay/CC
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1 min
The wild tiger of Nepal is doing well.
Their number has almost tripled in 12 years, thanks to the efforts of the Himalayan country to save these mythical felines from extinction.
Along with 12 other countries, including Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India and Thailand, Nepal pledged in 2010 to better protect tigers.
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Three hundred and fifty-five wild tigers live in Nepal today, up from an estimated 121 in 2009.
Nepal is the only one among thirteen Asian countries to have reached and even exceeded the common objective set in 2010: to double the number of tigers until 2022, which is, precisely, the year of the tiger in the Chinese horoscope.
At the time, the number of these majestic predators – both adored and hunted – was estimated at fewer than 3,200, compared to more than 100,000 at the start of the 20th century.
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It is thanks to the help of thousands of infrared cameras, installed over a vast expanse of the plains of southern Nepal, that wildlife defenders have been able to scrutinize the movements and reproduction of these felines whose each stripe is unique, like a fingerprint.
The protection program soon paid off.
The tiger, incarnation of wisdom for the Tibetans, the brother of man for the Indians, is a victim of deforestation.
It is also one of the most poached species in the world, sought after for its skin and valued in traditional Chinese medicine.
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Biodiversity
Nepal
Threatened species