Posted on 22 January
2011 - Bardia National Park, Nepal – A wild
tiger fitted with satellite-collar was successfully
translocated from Nepal’s Chitwan National
Park to Bardia National Park for the first
time on Saturday.
The translocation was
led by the Government of Nepal with support
from WWF Nepal and the National Trust for
Nature Conservation during the last days
of the Year of the Tiger. It will further
Nepal’s goal of doubling wild tiger numbers
by 2022, the next time the Chinese calendar
celebrates the endangered species.
“This translocation—the
first of its kind in Nepal—is a concrete
example of our commitment to saving wild
tigers using the best science available,
including the application of cutting-edge
technologies,” said Minister of Forest and
Soil Conservation of Nepal, Deepak Bohara.
“I am confident that
by working together the global community
can reach the goals we set ourselves at
the recently concluded tiger summit to save
tigers to benefit people, nations and nature.”
A pioneering move
The wild tiger was an
injured male captured by park authorities
from Chitwan National Park after it wandered
into the premises of a hotel in the tourist
town of Sauraha outside the park in September
last year. The tiger was placed in a secure
enclosure at the park’s headquarters for
treatment where it recovered completely.
On Friday, a team of
wildlife veterinarians, wildlife biologists,
park staff and conservationists tranquilized
the tiger and fitted it with a GPS plus
GLOBALSTAR-3 satellite collar. It then was
transported by road about 600 km in a specially
constructed trailer from Chitwan National
Park westwards to Bardia National Park under
strict supervision and security measures.
The tiger was finally introduced to its
new home in the fertile valley along the
River Babai on Saturday.
“The Babai valley was
an ideal location for the translocation
because of its vast size and available prey
species, improved anti-poaching efforts,
lower human-tiger conflict and good connectivity
with other protected areas through the Terai
Arc Landscape all the way to India’s Suhelwa
Wildlife Sanctuary,” said Krishna Acharya,
Director General of Department of National
Parks and Wildlife Conservation.
"Nepal is one of
the countries in the world where the prospect
of doubling the tiger population is quite
good, if tigers are given enough space,
prey and proper protection."
The satellite collar,
which gives an accurate location of the
tiger every half-hour, will help scientists
gain a better understanding of tiger ecology,
improve conservation interventions like
anti-poaching operations and monitor the
tiger adapting to its new environment.
“WWF is pleased to have
played a part in the pioneering tiger translocation
led by the Government of Nepal,” said Anil
Manandhar, WWF Nepal’s Country Representative.
“As
a global conservation organization, we have
been part of the Nepal’s evolving conservation
landscape—from species protection to the
successful Terai Arc Landscape—for over
four decades, and remain committed to working
together with our partners to help save
nature for future generations.”
