The Shuklaphanta National Park started the monitoring and counting of tigers in the park from Friday. The tigers will be tracked and counted using the camera trapping method for 15 days. A national census of tigers is conducted in Nepal every four years. The national census of tigers conducted in 2018 put the number of adult big cats in Shuklaphanta at 16. According to the national census conducted in 2022, the number of adult tigers at Shuklaphanta National Park (SNP) has reached 36.
Along with the national census, since 2021, SNP has also been conducting an annual census in the park every year. The counting is done in coordination with other agencies as a part of routine monitoring of tigers in protected areas as well as in low-density areas to prevent the risk of poaching and human-animal conflict. According to the census carried out between May 18, 2021, and June 6, 2021, by the park, 19 adult tigers, including six males, 11 females, and one whose gender is yet to be determined, were recorded in the park. According to the park, during the national census, along with the protected areas, other areas with tiger habitats were also monitored. However, the core area of focus for the current monitoring session is the main habitat of tigers inside the park area. Similarly, the process of installing cameras and monitoring also started on Friday.
According to Dr Sindhu Prasad Dhungana, director general of the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation who has been involved in monitoring wildlife including tigers, the method of collecting pictures of tigers with automatic cameras is considered to be the most effective and safest method for tiger counting. According to Joshi, the cameras were installed after collecting the necessary data, such as where tigers stroll and live, identifying footsteps, the coordinates of visuals of tigers, and other signs. The movement of tigers was recorded frequently in some specific locations this monsoon season, making it easier for the team to monitor and count tigers.
