Wild Bengal Tiger Population in Nepal up 63 Percent

The number of wild Bengal tigers living in Nepal has increased 63 percent since 2009, according to a study by the Nepalese government.

A five-month survey of a 600-mile stretch of land in Nepal and India found that there were 198 of the big cats living wild in the survey area. When the same area was surveyed in 2009, only 121 Bengal tigers were found.

The latest data indicate that Bengal tigers are now more numerous in Nepal than at any time since the 1970s, certainly a boon for tigers, which are now estimated to number as few as 2,000 in the wild across all species. Nepal has pledged to double its population of wild tigers by 2022.

"Tigers are a part of Nepal's natural wealth and we are committed to ensuring these magnificent wild cats have the prey, protection and space to thrive," the director-general of Nepal's Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, Megh Bahadur Pandey, said, according to the BBC.

"This is very encouraging," said Maheshwar Dhakal, an ecologist with Nepal's national parks and wildlife conservation department, according to the Guardian.

The survey also found that the number of Bengal tigers living in all of Nepal's national parks has increased. Chitwan national park in central Nepal has the highest number of adult tigers, with 120, followed by Bardiya national park (50) and Shukla Phanta wildlife reserve (17), the Guardian reported.

Bengal tigers are the most numerous of all the tiger species and can be found in India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Bhutan.  

News of the uptick in Bengal tiger populations comes at the same time that Sumatran tigers are also reportedly increasing in number.

A recent study of the Tambling Wildlife Nature Conservation -- a 450 square kilometer wildlife concession on Indonesia's Sumatra Island -- found an unexpectedly high density of tigers in about a quarter of the concession's area.

Recent camera trap data indicates an estimated six Sumatran tigers per 100 square kilometers in the southwest portion of the concession. This estimate is nearly double the highest recorded number of tigers ever recorded in the areaa