CHITWAN: Authorities are set to launch a nationwide tiger census on December 16, beginning from Chitwan National Park (CNP) and extending to Banke, Bardiya, and Shuklaphanta national parks.
The survey, conducted every four years, will run for three months. According to CNP Information Officer Abinash Thapa Magar, an orientation for enumerators will be held on December 16 and 17. Around 150 personnel—including CNP staff, technical experts from the National Trust for Nature Conservation, conservation partners, volunteers, and students—will be mobilized for the operation.
A total of 900 grids have been demarcated across the survey areas, with each grid representing two square kilometers. The tiger habitats will be divided into three sections, each containing 300 grids. Camera traps will be installed in every grid for a 20-day period to capture tiger movements. Technicians will camp inside the forests throughout the process.
In the previous national tiger census conducted in 2022, Nepal recorded 335 adult tigers. Of them, 128 were counted in Chitwan, 125 in Bardiya, 25 in Banke, 41 in Parsa, and 36 in Shuklaphanta.
Magar said preparations are also underway to begin a rhino census once the tiger census is completed.
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