BARDIYA, July 29: The number of Royal Bengal Tigers in Bardiya National Park has surged to around 125, making it Nepal's second-largest habitat for the big cats only behind Chitwan National Park which holds the top spot with 128 tigers.

Until 2010, Bardiya was home to 18 big cats of this species. However, the number surged three folds by 2022, thanks to the conservation efforts of the local community, said Purusottam Wagle, conservation officer at the park.

The national park made the number public marking the International Tiger Day celebrated every year on July 29 to raise awareness about one of the most endangered animals in the world.

Wagle claimed that the cases of human-animal conflict in the park’s buffer zones involving the Tiger has declined in the past two years.

“We have emphasised habitat management for tigers and carried out community awareness programmes,” said Wagle. “We have also set up electric fencing and erected concrete walls to prevent human-wildlife conflict, besides developing necessary infrastructure and implementing  various methods to protect the animals in the park.”

Along with the rise in the number of big cats, their movement in Khata biological corridor and adjacent forest areas has also increased.

Five people lost their lives to tiger and cheetah attacks in the last fiscal year, senior officer at the park, Tanka Gurung, said.

“We have plans in place to minimise human-animal conflict in the national park areas this fiscal year,” Gurung said. -RSS