Nepal's tiger numbers climb 20 percent to estimated 429: survey

The latest nationwide survey found tiger numbers had increased from 355 in 2022, reinforcing the Himalayan nation's reputation as a success story in big-cat conservation."The data analysis shows that the tiger population has increased by five percent each year, and we are happy to see this increasing trend," Bed Kumar Dhakal, spokesman for Nepal's Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, told AFP.The survey was conducted between December and July, and was announced to coincide with International Tiger Day. It covered more than 7,300 square kilometres (2,820 square miles) of Nepal's southern plains that are home to the predators.Wildlife officials deployed more than 3,600 motion-sensitive cameras across five protected areas, with experts analysing thousands of images to identify individual tigers by their distinctive stripe patterns."The reason behind the increasing number of tigers is because we could keep their habitat secure," said conservation department ecologist Hari Bhadra Acharya.Deforestation, habitat loss and poaching have been major challenges for tiger populations across Asia, and Nepal has won international praise for reversing the decline.In 2010, Nepal ...