Dhangadi, March 23

Several years of initiatives of the government and environmentalists to conserve tigers and other threatened species seem to have finally paid off as the latest data from forest authorities show a surge in the rare Bengal tiger in Laljhadi area of Kailali and Kanchanpur.

“It is a good sign that striped tigers, which is a rare species, have started migrating to this region due to several forest conservation efforts done by both government and environemntalists over the past decade,” Shiva Prasad Sharma, chief forest officer of Kanchanpur, said.

Sharma, the forest officer, observed that if the Laljhadi-Mohana Corridor was connected to the Chure range by removing human settlements from the area, the region would provide the best habitat for hundreds of such rare species. “The striped tigers migrated to the area after it was declared  ‘zero grazing zone’,” Sharma informed.

“Aishworya, Domilla, Jay Shankar, Bishal, Jagadamba, Mayor, Janahit, Golabari, Gwasi, Amarjit, Nabadurga, Samaiji, Sayapatri, Hariyali and Devi community forests are considered safe habitats for the Bengal Tiger,” the forest guards said, adding that many of the tigers have started living there permanently.

“We have been working to not only protect the rare wild species, but also the rare herbs,” said Mahesh Joshi, an environmental activist.

Local forest authorities say that it has been more than two decades since a tiger was spotted in the Chure region.