India, Nepal gear up to save the tiger

Senior forestry officials from India and Nepal are meeting in New Delhi from Monday to chalk out a joint strategy to save the tiger population along the trans-boundary corridor after 14 of the felines were killed during the last one year.

Officials here said both countries were mulling a joint strategy to save the endangered animal after an increasing number of cases of tiger-poaching along the Nepal-India border were reported.

The two-day meeting in New Delhi will focus on saving tigers on both sides of the international border, said Akhileshwor Karna, who is leading the Nepali delegation.

Between January 2015 and February 2016, at least 14 tigers were killed in the border areas causing panic on both sides. Six of the endangered specie were killed on the Nepal side.

With the increase in tiger-poaching cases, the ambitious project to double the tiger population in the region by 2022 has hit a roadblock.

Surmounting the challenges in the trans-border area is key to the success of the project, said Karna adding that apart from this the officials will also discussthe joint strategy for saving the tiger.

Tigers from India's Dudhwa National Park and Balmiki Tiger Reserve and from Nepal's Chitwan National Park, Bardiya National Park and Shuklaphanta Wildlife reserve, regularly cross the international border with officials on both sides facing similar difficulties in saving the endangered specie.

In India and Nepal, over 45,000 sq.km. land in the trans-border area from Bagmati to Yamuna rivers is home to 15 conservation areas and wildlife parks.

The tiger population in Nepal is estimated at around 200 and in India at 2,200.