Nepal tiger population rises 20% to 429

Nepal's tiger population has risen by roughly 20 percent in the past four years to an estimated 429, officials said Wednesday, in a conservation gain that also brings challenges for communities near tiger habitats.

The latest nationwide survey found tiger numbers had increased from 355 in 2022. Bed Kumar Dhakal, spokesman for Nepal's Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, said the data showed the tiger population had increased by five percent each year.

The survey, conducted between December and July, covered more than 7,300 square kilometres of Nepal's southern plains. Wildlife officials deployed more than 3,600 motion-sensitive cameras across five protected areas, and experts analysed images to identify individual tigers by their stripe patterns.

Nepal joined 12 other countries in 2010 in pledging to double tiger numbers by 2022. It met that goal, raising its tiger population to 355 in 2022 from about 121 in 2009.

The gains have also increased risks for people living near tiger habitats. Government data shows at least 38 people were killed in tiger attacks between 2019 and 2023.

WWF Nepal country representative Ghana Shyam Gurung said conservation gains must be matched by efforts to ensure people and wildlife can live together. He called for investment in effective coexistence programmes.

More than 100,000 tigers roamed in the wild at the start of the 20th century, but global numbers fell to an estimated 3,200 in 2010 before recovering in parts of Asia through intensified conservation efforts.