KATHMANDU, Sept. 24 (Xinhua) -- Nepal has been able to almost double the number of wild tigers within a decade, according to the tiger census report released by the government on Sunday.
The report released on the occasion of National Conservation Day states that the number of tigers across the country have reached 235. The tiger census of 2009 had put the number of wild cats at 121, which has been nearly doubled in a decade. There were 198 tigers in the country according to the last survey in 2013.
The latest growth has raised hopes for the Himalayan country to meet the international target of doubling the population of tigers by 2022 as per the global commitment.
Regarding the doubling of tiger population as a huge achievement in the field of conservation, Nepali Forest and Environment Minister Shakti Bahadur Basnet told local media that Nepal can easily meet the global commitment with this growth rate.
During the St Petersburg Tiger Summit in 2010, Nepal agreed in the ambitious target to double the wild tiger population by 2022.
According to a statement issued by World Wide Fund (WWF) Nepal on Sunday, Nepal is the first country to achieve global standards in managing tiger conservation areas, an accreditation scheme governed by the Conservation Assured Tiger Standards.
"Every tiger counts for Nepal and for the world. While Nepal is a few tigers away from the goal to double tiger numbers by 2022, it also underscores the continued need to ensure protection, and improved and contiguous habitats for the long-term survival of the species," Dr. Ghana Gurung, WWF Nepal Country Representative, was quoted in the statement.
The latest national tiger survey was held from November 2017 to April this year in the trans-boundary Terai Arc Landscape with the help of camera traps and surveys.
