More than a year ago on the occasion of Global Tiger Day, Nepal shocked the world by being the first country to double its tiger population unveiling the tiger census. In 2010, Nepal along with 12 other tiger range countries agreed to double the tiger population through the Global Tiger Summit held in Saint Petersburg, Russia. As a result of staggering efforts from DNPWC, DOF, the Nepali Army, other conservation partners like NTNC, WWF, ZSL etc. and local communities, the number of tigers climbed from 121 to 355 in a 12-year period. In a span of 12 years, establishment of Banke National Park, extension of Parsa National Park and restoration of several corridors were major milestones in terms of achieving this feat. Nepal successfully achieved its commitment to double its tiger population, but at what cost?
The rise in tiger population has increased the number of human-tiger conflicts. Tigers were mostly confined within the boundaries of protected areas and buffer zones, but due to increased tiger density, territorial fights among tigers and depletion of wild prey species, they are now dispersed. These dispersed tigers, especially young or old/wounded use marginal areas as their territory and often break into impoverished houses to make their kill, leading to human-tiger conflicts. Humans are neither a tiger's natural prey nor its natural enemy, but once tigers start to feed upon humans and their cattle, it eventually becomes a habit for them. Rather than hunting in the wild, these tigers slowly start to rely on humans and livestock for their diet. Tigers typically attack people in self-defense to protect themselves or their cubs. So, preying on humans is an anomaly seen in tiger behavior.
According to DNPWC (2022), tigers contribute only around 6% of total human-wildlife conflict which is less compared to other wild animals. In recent years, especially in the vicinity of the Chitwan and Bardia national parks, there has been a significant increase in human-tiger conflict. This conflict triggers an outburst of human fear and fuels anger against tigers as well as against officials involved in the conservation of tigers in the wild. Exaggerated narratives from survivors and hunters, has often led to political crises resulting in fueled wrath in gullible villagers. Moreover, those stories have added to misconceptions about tigers' response to humans and misguided them to develop negative attitudes towards tigers. Some local people taking advantage of the situation may poach or even kill tigers in retaliation, further exacerbating the issue of their declining population.
Silent roar of a tiger
Positive impact: What have we gained from success in tiger conservation?
Despite the human-tiger conflict, the increasing tiger population has widened the horizon for eco-tourism in Nepal. Roaring conservation success has brought Nepal to international limelight and is a major factor for attraction of tourists. This influx of tourists fosters the development of the hotel industry in nearby areas of the national parks and creates many employment opportunities, including safari guides, jeep drivers, cooks, room attendants and clerks. Local communities living around benefit indirectly from the revenue collected, which in turn is utilized for the development of infrastructures like schools where students are taught the significance of tiger conservation. Similarly, tigers are top predators and lie at the apex of the food chain maintaining balance between herbivores and vegetation upon which they feed. Thus the presence of tigers indicates a healthy ecosystem.
Reducing conflict and safeguarding tigers
Last month, when I skimmed through comments on social media, I was struck by a comment on a post about the human-tiger conflict. It read, ‘A country like Nepal cannot progress if it still continues to prioritize wildlife over humans.’ I was fueled with anger but later realized that there might be fault in the conservation framework that the country has adopted which only aims to protect wildlife disregarding human-wildlife coexistence. So, proper strategies should be developed addressing contemporary as well as emerging challenges and implemented effectively to maintain co-existence.
Reducing human-tiger conflict is essential for the co-existence of human and tiger as well as for the maintenance of tiger population. Prey density is a major factor for improving tiger density. Low density of wild prey might result in increased tiger attacks on humans and livestock. Proper actions like habitat protection, reduction of competition with livestock, reintroduction of large prey and grassland management should be taken to increase prey density and restrict tigers in the wild. Man-eater tigers must be captured with help of expert teams and should be kept in rehabilitation or in captivity in zoos or should be released into core forest areas reducing the chances of tiger attacks on humans. A periodic monitoring of those tigers using radio collars is necessary to obtain information of their status and distribution. Translocation of conflict causing tigers to another protected area or alternative habitat can also be an option. The Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve, Triyuga forest and forest patches in the Mahabharat and Chure ranges have been identified as alternative habitats for tigers in Nepal.
Local communities face negative impact from human-tiger conflict. Therefore, involvement of those communities in conflict management is crucial. The effective mitigation of human-tiger conflict can be done through public education and outreach campaigns which are influential in changing perceptions of humans towards tigers. Conservation education regarding tiger ecology and their behavior, human behavior during an encounter with tigers etc. should be conducted throughout the buffer zone area to change the people’s behavior. The community needs people who fight for tigers, not against them.
Alternative sources of energy like biogas plants and solar energy should be provided to the local people in order to reduce their dependence on forests. With improved livelihood options, the people will no longer need to venture into forests for fodder, fuel wood and other NTFP, thereby reducing encounters with tigers. Though it is immoral to put value to human life, monetary reliefs should be provided to victims. Compensation and insurance programs for the loss of livestock to depredations, medical expenses when people are attacked improve local acceptance of tigers and reduce retaliation killings. People must accept interdependence and learn to coexist for the betterment of both humans and tigers.
