Tiger Census Preparation Underway in Shuklaphanta National Park Starting February 23

Kanchanpur. Preparations for the tiger census in Shuklaphanta National Park are set to begin from February 23.

The tiger census in Shuklaphanta National Park and its surrounding areas will be conducted immediately after the elections, informed Purushottam Wagle, Information Officer of Shuklaphanta National Park. "Since park employees will also be deployed for the House of Representatives elections, it has been decided to conduct the tiger census after the elections," he said. "Automated cameras will be installed in Shuklaphanta, along with the Laljhadi-Mohana Conservation Area and Jogbuda in Dadeldhura, starting from the 23rd for the tiger census."

The park office stated that under the National Tiger Census, the area named Shuklaphanta-Laljhadi-Jogbuda Complex has been divided into 260 grids of two by two kilometers. A pair of automated cameras will be installed in every grid after identifying potential areas where tigers roam.

In the 2022 census, the statistics released showed 36 adult tigers in this complex. This included 28 tigers captured on camera—16 females and 12 males—and eight based on analysis. Conservation officers state that although Shuklaphanta National Park is small in area, the tiger population has increased due to the sufficient density of tiger prey species. The density of prey species in Shuklaphanta National Park is 146 per square kilometer. Shuklaphanta National Park, famous for wildlife and rare vegetation, spans an area of 305 square kilometers.