Tiger Census Begins with 1,100 Camera Traps

Nepal launched its quadrennial tiger census on Tuesday, December 16, marking the occasion with an inaugural programme in Sauraha, Chitwan.

The census is being led by the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC) under the Ministry of Forests and Environment, in coordination with the Department of Forests and Soil Conservation.

The National Trust for Nature Conservation (NTNC), World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Nepal, and the Geological Society of Nepal are providing technical and logistical support. The Nepali Army, Buffer Zone and Community Forest Users’ Committees are also assisting in the fieldwork.

According to the DNPWC, the census is expected to take between two and a half and three months. A total of 25 technical personnel have been mobilised nationwide.

DNPWC Director General Buddi Sagar Paudel said that 1,100 advanced camera traps are being installed across key tiger habitats. The tiger population will be estimated through photographic capture and image analysis.

The census is estimated to cost around Rs 30 million. The budget covers personnel mobilisation, camera trap management, memory cards, tents, sleeping bags and other logistical requirements. Each camera trap has been procured at an average cost of Rs 35,000.

Nepal has been conducting systematic tiger counts using automated camera traps since 2009. That year, the country recorded 121 tigers. Subsequent censuses were carried out in 2013, 2018 and 2022 under the Tiger Conservation Action Plan.

Tiger population estimates in Nepal stood at 98 in 1995, 109 in 2000, 126 in 2005, 121 in 2009, 198 in 2013, 235 in 2018 and 355 in 2022.

As the tiger population grows, Nepal has seen a rise in human-tiger conflicts. Paudel stressed the need to provide alternative livelihood options to communities living near forests to reduce such conflicts. He said this would help limit forest dependence and encourage positive attitudes towards wildlife conservation.

18 ‘Problematic’ Tigers in Captivity

The rise in tiger numbers has also led to an increase in ‘problematic’ tigers in national parks and surrounding areas. These include tigers that frequently enter human settlements and attack people or livestock. 

At present, 18 such tigers are being kept in enclosures across the country. Five are housed at the Central Zoo in Jawalakhel, Lalitpur. Seven are in Chitwan National Park, four in Bardia National Park, and one each in Banke and Parsa national parks.

Globally, the tiger population has increased to 5,357. India has the largest population with 3,167 tigers, followed by Russia with 750 and Indonesia with 400. Nepal ranks fourth with 355 tigers. Other countries include Thailand (189), Bhutan (151), Malaysia (150), Bangladesh (146), Myanmar (22), and China (20).

(With inputs from RSS)