How Nepal has managed to double its tiger population

In 2018 file photo, a group of Nepali women take part in a community anti-poaching patrol to protect tigers in Bardia National Park, some 500km southwest of Kathmandu. —AFP

AMONG the 13 tiger range countries in the world, Nepal is heading towards becoming the first country to meet the goal of doubling its tiger population – termed TX2 (Tigers times two) – by 2022. In 2009, Nepal had roughly 121 wild tigers, but according to the 2018 census reports, now it has 235 of these magnificent wild cats, which indicates a 94% increase within 10 years.

On the contrary, despite Bengal tigers being an inextricable part of our identity, Bangladesh has shown little progress in reaching the TX2 goal by 2022. As reported by the 2018 tiger census, Bangladesh is now home to 114 Bengal tigers – an insignificant leap from the 2015 census where the tiger count stood at 106.