Nepal Nearly Triples Its Wild Tiger Population in 13 Years

Bellamy Richardson
·2 min read
2
Photo taken in Nepal, Nepal
Photo taken in Nepal, Nepal

Getty Images/EyeEm

After a century that almost rendered wild Asian tigers extinct, Nepal has turned the fate of the big cat species around.

According to a report recently released by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), there are almost three times as many tigers in Nepal today as there were in 2009. This good news follows the upward trend of other tiger populations — 2016 marked the first time in 100 years that the world population of tigers increased.

The WWF reported that Nepal is now home to an estimated 355 tigers, a number based on the results of the National Tiger and Prey Survey.

"The historic over 190 percent increase since 2009 is a result of the protection of key tiger habitats and corridors, partnership with local communities, and cracking down on poaching and illegal wildlife trade," per the WWF's report.

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"This conservation win is a result of political will and concerted efforts of local communities, youth, enforcement agencies, and conservation partners under the leadership of the Government of Nepal," Ghana S. Gurung, the WWF's Nepal country director, added in a statement.

While wild tigers once roamed across Asia, the big cats now live in just 13 countries: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia (locally extinct), China, India, Indonesia, Laos (locally extinct), Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Russia, Thailand, and Vietnam (locally extinct).

In 2010, leaders from these 13 countries came together to achieve an unprecedented goal: doubling the number of tigers in the wild by 2022, according to the World Wildlife Fund.

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Nepal celebrated achieving and surpassing this goal on 2022's Global Tiger Day on July 29. Global Tiger Day was founded in 2010 to be celebrated each year on July 29 as a way to raise awareness and promote the conservation of endangered tigers.

Even with Nepal's great news, there are still fewer than 4,000 tigers in the wild today, CNN reported, and tigers are still considered endangered by the WWF.