Panthera tigris (Mazak, 1968)

Subspecies Panthera tigris tigris (Linnaeus, 1758)

 

Common Names

Royal Bengal Tiger (English); Bagh (Nepali)

 

Species Description

Orange coat with black stripes. The back of the ears are black with white spot. Long banded tail. White undersides.

 

Species Ecology

Royal Bengal Tigers live in humid evergreen forests, dry open jungle and grassy swamps of the Terai. The Terai grasslands, where a large percentage of tigers are distributed, are one of the most critically threatened tiger habitats in the world. Smith et al. (1998) conducted a study of tiger distribution and habitat quality in Nepal and suggested that when the ratio of good-to-poor habitat drops below 50%, tigers no longer breed; when it drops below 30%, tigers no longer occupy an area. The main diet consists of medium to large ungulates such as Wild Boar, Chital, Hog Deer, Sambar and will also predate on livestock.

Age at first reproduction is three years and females produce a litter of two to five cubs after a gestation of 103 days. The overall lifespan of a Royal Bengal Tiger can be up to 20 years.

 

Conservation Status

Global: Endangered A2bcd+4bcd; C1+2a (i)

National: Endangered A2acd; C2a(i); D

Rationale for assessment: The Royal Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris) has been assessed as Endangered under criteria A, C and D. This species has experienced significant population declines of at least 50% over three generations (estimated as 15 years, with the average generation time of Royal Bengal Tigers being 5 years), mainly due to poach?ing for illegal trade in body parts. The population remains small with 155 mature individuals existing in few locations and mainly within protected areas. The populations are heavily fragmented due to habitat loss and modification from human encroachment and movement between these areas is likely to be limited due to a lack of continuous habitat and because of increased threats outside of the protected areas, particularly human-wildlife conflict and retaliatory killings. Royal Bengal Tigers do occur in neighbouring areas of India, but also as highly fragmented sub-populations.

 

Legal Status

Included in the CITES CoP decision 12.5 and 14.5 for the conservation of ABC (Asian Big Cats)

Listed in the National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 2029 (1973) as protected priority species. This species primarily occurs within protected areas.

 

National Population Size

Adults: 155

The current total number of adult tigers in Nepal is estimated to be 155 (range 124 to 229), including the most recent census results from Chitwan National Park (Dec 2009 to March 2010), which revealed 125 (range 95 to 185) adult tigers in the whole Chitwan National Park area, including Churia. Estimates of adult tiger populations in the other protected areas known to be occupied by tigers are taken from the December 2008 to March 2009 camera trap census: Bardia National Park, 18 (range 17 to 29); Parsa Wildlife Reserve, 4; Shukla Phanta Wildlife Reserve, 8 (with a range 8 to14).

 

National Distribution

Royal Bengal Tiger populations exist in fragmented locations in the Terai region and core sub populations are concentrated in the protected areas of Bardia National Park, Chitwan National Park, Parsa Wildlife Reserve and Shukla Phanta Wildlife Reserve and the districts of Banke, Bara, Bardia, Chitwan, Dang, Kailali, Kanchanpur, Makawanpur, Nawalparasi, Parsa and Rupandehi. This area was once a continuous subtropical forest zone but tigers are now isolated to the remnants of remaining suitable habitat. Most tigers exist within protected areas however approximately a quarter remain outside.

 

Distribution outside Nepal

India, Bangladesh, Bhutan.

 

Main Threats

• Poaching and illegal trade.

• Reduction in prey base.

• Habitat fragmentation or modification.

• Human-tiger conflict.

 

Conservation Measures in Place

Tiger Conservation Action Plan 2008-2012 of Nepal

TAL (Terai Arc Landscape) - Nepal Strategic Plan 2004-2014. The Nepal Government has made a commitment to double Tiger numbers by 2022. A number of national and international NGOs are specifically supporting various conservation activities and programmes in the remaining protected areas to conserve tigers. Human-wildlife conflict issues are being addressed by the Government providing relief to victim?s families.

 

Conservation Recommendations

i) Enhance law enforcement systems for strict protection of wild tigers and their core breeding areas.

ii) Implement systematic patrols in both protected areas and buffer zones.

iii) Strengthen intelligence network.

iv) Maintain large prey base population and their habitats.

v) Implement capacity development programmes to achieve effective landscape and protected area management.

vi) Stop infrastructure/development projects in core tiger breeding areas.

vii) Develop strategies for protecting tigers from retaliatory killings; develop strategies for effective and sustainable conflict mitigation.

viii) Increase awareness, education and community engagement activities.

ix) Enhance trans-boundary cooperation for combating illegal trade in wildlife, maintaining ecological integrity in the tiger landscapes and promoting tiger tourism.

x) Protect national and international biological corridors, controlling and managing encroachment in the remaining grasslands of Terai.

References

Prater 1971, McDougal 1977, Sunquist 1981, Smith et al. 1987, Smith 1993b, Suwal and Verheugt 1995, Smith et al. 1997, Gurung et al. 2006, DNPWC 2007, Dinerstein 2009, DNPWC 2009abc, Karki et al. 2009, Karki 2010.