Bhishma Raj Ojha

Kathmandu, July 29 : Today, July 29, is the International Tiger Day. It is being observed with the theme- 'Their Survival Is In Our Hands'.    
    
 Nepal is also observing the day, organizing various programmes in the national and sub-national levels today.    
    
 With the coordination of Ministry of Forest and Environment, the National Park and Wildlife Reserve Department is organizing a 'Tiger Dialogue Programme' today. Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba will attend the programme as chief guest.    
    
 Information Officer at the Department, Haribhadra Acharya, informed that the programmes on tiger's habitat and creation of wildlife friendly infrastructure would also be organized.    
    
 The tigers are found in various 13 countries. They had committed in a conference held in Petersburg, Russia in 2010 that they would double the tiger population by 2022.    
    
 As per the commitment, the Ministry conducted the tiger census in 2018 in Nepal, which recorded the number of tigers at 235. In Nepal, there were only 121 tigers in 2009.    
    
 Chitwan National Park homes largest number of tiger, 93, which is followed by Bardiya, 87.    
    
 Although the increase of tiger populations is encouraging, the worrying fact is that 18 persons were killed by the tiger in Nepal last year alone. Time has come for the country to minimize human-tiger conflict, the experts have warned.