Nepal, one of the major transit points for illegal trade in tiger parts, today joined the global campaign to double the population of the endangered big cats by 2022.
The campaign that coincides with beginning of the Chinese year of the tiger, aims to double the number of adult tigers in Nepal from 121 to over 240 by 2022--the next year of the tiger.
“If implemented soon, the government’s initiative to set up a National Tiger Conservation Authority and a Wildlife Crime Control Bureau will go a long way in achieving that goal,” said Anil Manandhar, country representative, WWF Nepal.
Nepal is the biggest crossroad for illegal trade in tiger parts from South Asia to the Tibet autonomous region and other parts of China. Tigers killed in India are transported through Nepal by a well-oiled network of traders.
“The main source of illegal trade in tiger parts in the region is India. Nepal is the transit point and China the market. We have to engage all these three countries to save the tiger,” he said.
Manandhar informed that Nepal is in the process of signing an agreement with India to seal the transit points and another with China to increase awareness that might lead to a decrease in demand for tiger parts.