CHITWAN: Chitwan National Park is facing serious challenges in feeding and caring for tigers that have been captured from nearby areas due to conflict or illness, primarily because of a lack of sufficient budget.
According to park officials, there are currently seven tigers kept in enclosures: three at the park’s headquarters in Kasara, two in Sauraha, and two in Devnagar.
These tigers were either caught after entering human settlements and displaying aggressive behavior, or were rescued due to injuries or illness. They require daily feeding, mainly buffalo meat, to survive.
Abinash Thapa Magar, the park’s information officer, said it costs around Rs 3 million (approximately USD 22,500) annually to care for the seven tigers.
Each tiger consumes between five to seven kilograms of buffalo meat daily. However, the government allocates only about Rs 500,000 per year for this purpose, he added.
“Last fiscal year, meat suppliers are still owed around Rs 2.2 million,” said Thapa Magar. “Feeding seven tigers around five kilograms of meat per day costs more than Rs 200,000 monthly. Although the feeding continues, we are unable to make timely payments.”
Adding to the problem is a lack of space. “There is no more room to keep additional tigers,” Thapamagar noted. Last year, one tiger had to be transferred to Parsa National Park due to space constraints. The situation is worsening as the number of problem or injured tigers needing captivity increases, while the budget for their care continues to shrink.
The latest census shows there are 128 adult tigers in Chitwan National Park. As prey species have increased, so too has the tiger population, making Chitwan an ideal habitat for the big cats. For tourists, tigers are often displayed in enclosures at Devnagar, where they are relatively easy to spot.
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