In a remarkable display of courage, Mangal Kumal saved her husband Lilarag from a tiger attack by beating the predator with a stick. This incident highlights the growing challenges faced by communities living near Nepal's Chitwan National Park, where successful conservation efforts have led to a significant increase in the tiger population.
Nepal's tiger conservation program has achieved impressive results, with the number of Bengal tigers nearly tripling from 121 in 2010 to 355 in 2022. This success story is part of a global initiative launched in 2010 by 13 countries to double their tiger populations. Nepal stands out as the only nation to reach this ambitious target.
However, this conservation triumph has come at a cost. Since 2018, at least 32 people have been killed and 15 injured in tiger-related incidents. The villages surrounding Chitwan National Park, home to a third of Nepal's tigers, have become hotspots for human-tiger conflicts.
Abinash Thapa Magar, a ranger at Chitwan National Park, acknowledges the challenges: "The Bengal tiger is a magnificent animal. We have to protect it, or it could go to extinction. But we have to manage rising human-tiger conflict and control the man-eaters."
Conservation efforts involve a multi-faceted approach. Rangers work closely with local communities to prevent poaching and protect habitats. They also employ an unexpected ally in their efforts: elephants. During the rainy season, when the park becomes impassable by vehicles, elephants play a crucial role in patrolling and tracking.
Amrita Pudasaini, another Chitwan park ranger, explains the difficult decisions they face: "We have to take man-eating tigers out of the wild because they can get a taste for humans. But caging the big cats is a last resort."
The use of elephants in conservation efforts is not without controversy. Dil Bahadur Purja Pun, chief of the Chitwan park rangers, emphasizes: "It is not acceptable to ride them for recreational purposes, but it is essential for the safety of rangers and for operational purposes."
Local villagers have mixed feelings about the growing tiger population. Lilarag Kumal, who survived a tiger attack, expresses his fear: "I've not been back into the forest since it happened. I'm very scared, I cannot go inside."
His wife, Mangal, reflects on the complex relationship between humans and tigers: "The tigers come from here, but so do we – our communities have lived here for a very long time. Sometimes it feels too hard to live with tigers beside us."
As Nepal continues to balance conservation success with human safety, the country's experience offers valuable lessons for global tiger conservation efforts. The challenge now lies in maintaining a healthy tiger population while mitigating conflicts and ensuring the safety of local communities.
"We have no new target for the tiger population, as we have already tripled their numbers. Now, we have to focus on balancing this, to maintain the population while mitigating conflicts. It is quite difficult, but not impossible."