Jul 29, 2023 at 12:48 Update: an hour ago
The number of tigers in Bhutan has increased by a quarter in recent years to 131. It shows that the Himalayan country has taken successful measures to protect the endangered species.
There are still about 4,500 tigers in the wild worldwide, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) reported on International Tiger Day on Saturday. The population is also steadily increasing in countries such as India, Nepal, Russia and China.
But in other countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia, the tiger has a much more difficult time. In addition, the predators in Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam have completely disappeared from the wild. Humans pose the greatest threat to tigers: they are hunted for (illegal) trade in their body parts.
In Bhutan, tigers live in an area roughly the size of Belgium. There, so-called camera traps were used at a total of 1,201 locations to count the tigers. They were found up to an altitude of about 4,000 meters. Bhutan protects the habitat of the animals in a number of national parks.
The last official census was carried out in 2015. Then there were 103 tigers in Bhutan. According to tiger expert Gert Polet, the country is an example for other countries where tigers live in the wild. “You can’t protect wildlife without the support of the local population,” he says.
“In addition, the government must also have the will to enforce legislation in practice. And the habitat of tigers must also be in order. If these types of predators flourish, then that is a sign of a healthy ecosystem.”
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Rising number of tigers does not lead to problems in Bhutan
As the number of tigers grows, so does the chance of encounters between humans and tigers going wrong. In Bhutan, the increase is not known to cause major problems, although cattle are sometimes attacked by tigers.
In Nepal, the downside of tiger protection is more noticeable: dozens of people have been killed by tigers in that country in recent years. According to the WWF, preventing conflicts between humans and animals has the highest priority.
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2023-07-29 10:48:56
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