Geneva, 29 July 2022 (TDI): International Tiger day falls on 29 July and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has joined the world in honoring the year of the Tiger. WWF also congratulates Nepal for doubling its number of Tigers. According to a 2022 survey on tigers, Nepal has worked hard to increase its tigers from 191 in 2009 to 355 in 2022.
Its Official! Nepal has gone beyond meeting the Global commitment to double Tiger numbers in the wild by going from 121 to 355 in 12 years! WWF Thanks the People, Govt of Nepal & all supporters including Donors for this historic achievement.
#yearofthetiger #roarfortigers pic.twitter.com/ZjqCKtchUc
— WWF Nepal (@WWFNepal) July 29, 2022
The year of the Tiger
The year of the Tiger began on 1st February 2022 and will end on 21 January 2023 in the Lunar calendar. According to Chinese tradition, the tiger is a symbol of strength, exorcising evils, and braveness.
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in partnership with other organizations is working to restore the ecosystems and tiger populations in Bhutan. On International Tiger Day, UNEP and many other organizations call on humanity to ensure the preservation of tigers.
2021 Joint report of UNEP and WWF
According to the joint report of the UNEP and WWF, human-animal conflict is a major threat to the lives of the world’s most exotic species. People result in killing wildlife in self-defense or in retaliation. Conflicts affect over 75 percent of the world’s wild cat species.
Unfortunately, in Bhutan, tigers tend to kill farmers’ livestock. This causes farmers to lose their source of income. UNEP through the Vanishing Treasures programme works with the Bhutan Tiger Centre to find ways to resolve this problem.
In an interview with UNEP’S Matthias Jurek, he said that they would first need the government’s support. He also said that in order to find solutions, it is important to find trustworthy and educated partners.
He also said there is a need to have enough information regarding the problem. Furthermore, there is a need to have financial resources, the Government of Luxembourg funds the Vanishing Treasures Programme.
Jurek also added that Climate change and intensive agriculture are has reduced grasslands. As a result, this enhances the frequency of human-animal conflicts. Many farmers end up taking their livestock to the mountains to graze. This, therefore, risks the lives of both the livestock and the farmers.
Also read: UN celebrates World Wildlife Day 2022
The loss of grasslands also causes the deaths of other animals such as the sambar deer, barking deer, and many more. The Vanishing Programme facilitates the restoration of grasslands. Farmers and herders state which grasslands need to be restored. Thereafter, the local people decide what grass species they want to be sown.
