“Year of the Tiger”: Wild Tiger Population Doubles This Decade

Nepal is on its way to meeting a pledge to double its wild tiger population by 2022 from the 2010 numbers thanks to strong conservation measures and the help of the communities living close to the national parks.

“Nepal is a leading country which other countries, like India, want to replicate,” says Ram Aryal, from the environmental NGO the National Trust for Nature Conservation. “As an umbrella species, the tiger represents a living environment, and protecting it we also protect all other species living in that environment.”

In 2010, there were 121 wild tigers across the various national parks and protected areas of Nepal, and today, the population reaches 240. The government’s plan is to bring the total population to 250 by 2022, in time for the next Year of the Tiger in the Chinese zodiac. For some 30 years, conservation efforts have been put in place, and they include the help of the military. Technology, animals, and modes of transportation are all put to good use. Since there is also strong enforcement against poaching – killing a tiger carries a life sentence – no tigers have been shot in decades.