December 6, 2024, Friday
Nepal 1:37:26 pm

Tiger: a success story

Editorial

The Nepal Weekly
August 2, 2022

That tiger-preservation in Nepal has been a success story is encouraging for all who love and respect nature. The doubling of the big cat population to 355 in Nepal in accordance with a pledge made in 2010 is further re-assuring for all nature-workers. The modality and work-plan particularly the sense of care and dedication pursued in tiger preservation in national parks of Parsa, Chitawan, Banke, Bardia and Shuklaphanta could emerge as inspirational best practice for all those engaged in conservation of various sorts including wild life, plants and water-bodies. The same deserves close attention from all those who are supposed to engage in climate action in the country where disasters – natural and man-made have turned out to be regular visitors over the past few years. Because of the disasters the country loses various resources – human, wild-life, natural, financial and others every year. In addition to that, serious development efforts, which take time and heavy labour, are rendered meaningless by such disasters in a matter of hours. To stop those deficits conservation works, climate actions and other essential measures have to be undertaken in time promptly and efficiently. The accomplishments of tiger-front could be instrumental in pushing those efforts ahead. One challenge, however, is troubling tiger-preservationists: the destruction and fear caused and created by tiger in human settlements of the park areas. An appropriate solution to it has to be sought and implemented in order not to allow more Nepalis become prey to the cat. The issue demands immediate attention. All the families who have lost their loved ones to the attack of the tiger are in fear and it is very difficult for them to remain appreciator of the value of preserving tiger. The conflict between wild life and humans is something that could be tackled with meticulous strategy. The same needs to be followed in the country in future with the spirit of preserving tiger with no human loss or fear of the same. If this could not be done the success achieved so far would not be sustainable in times to come. Unless the neighbouring settlements are not confident about human safety, the wild life in the parks could not be protected in the long run. That is why as tiger-success is celebrated a resolution should be taken by all concerned that human safety would be guaranteed in all the park-areas marked as tiger-habitat. The food and water and other essentials for the tiger should be made available all time for the tiger within their habitat. This would prevent tigers from crossing over to human settlements. Modern technology and latest wild life preservation skills, experiences and research-findings could be used in the optimum way possible in this regard.