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Nepal's Royal Bengal tiger numbers soar

Big-cat populationup more than 60 per cent in five years, but tiger-related deaths also rise

The number of wild Royal Bengal tigers in Nepal has increased to 198, a more than 60 per cent rise in five years, a government survey of the big cats showed.

The findings are crucial for the protection of endangered tigers facing the threat of extinction from poachers for the lucrative trade in their parts, encroachment of habitat by villagers due to the rise in human settlements and loss of prey.

The government is making conservation plans for tigers. But it should also come up with plans to protect people from tigers
Krishna Bhurtel, village headman in Chitwan

Conflicts between people and wild animals are frequent in Nepal, which has pledged to double the population of tigers by the year 2022 from an estimated 2010 level of 125.

"This is very encouraging," said Maheshwar Dhakal, an ecologist with Nepal's National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Department, adding that the Himalayan nation was on target to achieve its goal ahead of the deadline.

"But the increased numbers have also added to our responsibilities and challenges for the conservation of tigers," Dhakal said after releasing the findings of the four-month survey late on Monday.

The study was supported by the conservation group WWF and the United States.

Conservation experts credit the increase to effective policing of national parks, stronger anti-poaching drives and better management of tiger habitats in Nepal, where forests cover 29 per cent of the land.

Nepal needs to carefully protect the habitat and animals on which tigers prey so the big cats have enough space to roam and food to eat, experts said.

As the number of tigers has increased over the years, so have incidents with villagers.

Seven people were killed in attacks by tigers around national parks last year compared to four in 2011, park officials said.

Villagers are also seeking better protection.

"The government is making conservation plans for tigers. But it should also come up with plans to protect people from tigers," Krishna Bhurtel, a local village headman in Chitwan, told Nepali newspaper Nagarik. Chitwan is home to more than 100 tigers.

Thousands of tigers once roamed the forests in Bangladesh, India and Nepal. But their numbers have plummeted to just about 3,000 now, wildlife experts say.

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: Nepal's Royal Bengal tiger numbers soar
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