Naresh Subedi, Babu Ram Lamichhane, Yajna Nath Dahal, Ram Chandra Kandel, Madhuri Karki Thapa, Rajan Regmi, Binod Shrestha,
Volume 3, Issue 2 (6-2021)
Abstract
Conserving tigers (Panthera tigris) in highly fragmented landscapes is a daunting task. Terai Arc Landscape (TAL) at the base of the Himalayas aims to connect the remaining Tiger habitats in southern Nepal and northwestern India. Tiger population clusters in central (Chitwan-Parsa) and western (Bardia-Banke) Nepal are distinct with limited connectivity in recent past. We present the photographic evidence of Bengal tiger (P. tigris tigris) from forest patch between these population clusters for the first time. The photographs were obtained during camera trap survey across Chure region of Nepal in 2018. Two adult tigers–a female and a male—were photographed ~40 km apart. This record indicates the possibility that tiger habitat extends outside the protected areas in Nepal and natural linkages between Chitwan-Parsa and Bardia-Banke tiger population clusters through forest corridors along the Chure region. Conservation efforts should also focus on the forests outside protected areas especially the critical biological corridors to conserve tigers in TAL via a meta-population approach.
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