NEPAL’S LATEST TIGER SURVEY IS A ROARING SUCCESS

TIGER TRIUMPH!

Tigers

ACHIEVEMENTS YOU’RE PART OF

NEW PROTECTION FOR RUSSIA’S TIGERS

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Great news! Nepal’s latest tiger survey shows the magnificent big cats have almost doubled in number in less than a decade

he survey reveals an estimated 235 wild tigers in Nepal compared with the 121 estimated in 2009. And this brilliant result means the

country is close to achieving its part in the global goal to double wild tiger numbers by 2022, the next Chinese year of the tiger. We helped set this ambitious goal in 2010, at the St Petersburg Tiger Summit. Since then, with your amazing support, we’ve been working with governments, businesses, local communities and many other partners in tiger range countries to make tiger conservation a top priority. Nepal has shown what can be achieved when we work together, creating a benchmark for others to follow.

• Y O U R T I G E R S A D O P T I O N• Y O U R T I G E R S U P D A T E

our ongoing work to tackle threats such as poaching, and to ensure fragile wildlife habitats within the corridor are managed and restored. Thanks to you, our community monitoring team recently carried out another camera trap survey in Khata corridor and recorded eight individual tigers. Magnificent male T10 was one of them. He continues to have the largest home range, covering almost 19 square kilometres, and he’s still cosying up with beautiful tigress Kalika. As yet there’s no signs of her being pregnant, but it’s still early days. We’ll be sure to let you know as soon as we notice anything!

We also found new camera trap photos of female T06, who’s successfully raising her cub. Since our last field report, this highly protective mother has expanded her home range, giving her a larger area to hunt for prey and feed her growing youngster.

SURVEY SNAPSHOTSNepal’s national tiger survey took five months and involved the use of camera traps covering an area of over 12,350 sq km

hese camera traps played a key part in the survey, capturing an impressive 4,387 images. By studying the photos,

researchers were able to identify individual tigers from the unique stripe patterns on their coats.

In addition to the estimated 87 tigers in Bardia National Park, 18 tigers were estimated in Parsa National Park, 93 in Chitwan National Park, 21 in Banke National Park and 16 in Shuklaphanta National Park. You supported this crucially important survey. Thank you.

ROAR-SOME EFFORT

TIGER CUBS DEPEND ON THEIR MOTHERS FOR FOOD UNTIL AROUND 18 TO 20 MONTHS OLD

18--20 MONTHS

WE’RE SO GRATEFUL TO YOU FOR SUPPORTING OUR ONGOING WORK TO TACKLE THREATS SUCH AS POACHING, AND TO ENSURE FRAGILE WILDLIFE HABITATS WITHIN THE CORRIDOR ARE MANAGED AND RESTORED

GO TIGER

TRACKING

Follow intrepid tiger tracker Bishnu and his team as they

set up camera traps and record tiger signs in Chitwan National

Park. Join them now, at:

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Survey team members in Parsa National Park study a map of the forest

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COMPILED BY PRAKESH THAPA OF THE KHATA CORRIDOR RESTORATION PROJECT,

WHICH YOU SUPPORT

YOUR FIELDREPORT

through the corridorStunni

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The extensive survey covered five protected areas together with wildlife corridors and adjoining forests, including Khata corridor – home to your tigers. Just to remind you, Khata is an important stretch of forest between Bardia National Park in Nepal and Katerniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary in India. It enables wild tigers to move freely between the two protected areas to feed and breed, and it’s making a huge difference.

During the survey, four tigers were recorded exclusively in the corridor while another nine had territories that ranged between the corridor and Bardia National Park. An estimated 87 tigers were found inside Bardia itself, which is a great improvement since 2009, when only 18 tigers were estimated.

The corridor has played an instrumental role in helping to increase the wild tiger population, and so have you. We’re so grateful to you for supporting

wwf.org.uk/tigertrackers

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• Y O U R T I G E R S U P D A T E

In 2017, we helped establish the first-ever camera trap monitoring in the park, revealing 26 incredible wild tigers

ver a three-month period, the camera traps recorded images

of 10 male and 10 female tigers, along with two litters of gorgeous cubs. Amazingly, one tigress has four cubs. This happens quite rarely, and suggests that the tigers are safe and secure in their forest habitat.

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ikin National Park lies in Primorksy province, in Russia’s Sikhote-Alin mountain range.

It contains over 11 million square kilometres of spectacular birch and pine forests, and is often referred to as the Russian Amazon because of the incredible array of wildlife it supports. The stunningly beautiful forests provide a crucial haven for 52 mammal species alone, including musk deer, Himalayan black bears and majestic Amur tigers. They’re also the ancestral home of the Udege and Nanai indigenous people. We’ve been working in the region for around a decade and helped prepare the case for Bikin to become a national park. In 2015 it happened, and Bikin became the first national park in Russia to be established with the interests of indigenous people

RUSSIA’S AMAZONSAFEGUARDING

B at its heart. These people are now helping to manage the forests, while continuing their traditional lifestyle and living peacefully alongside their wild neighbours.

With World Heritage status confirmed, Bikin National Park becomes part of the Central Sikhote-Alin UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site, collectively renamed as the Bikin River Valley. As well as gaining international recognition, it receives an additional layer of protection to ensure the forest stays healthy long-term. As part of these plans, a new buffer zone is being created to maintain the forest ecosystem and connect with other tiger habitats. You’re supporting tiger conservation in the Russian Far East and we can’t thank you enough.

LONG-TERM SUPPORT

BIKIN’S FORESTS ARE HOME TO AROUND 10% OF THE WORLD’S AMUR TIGER POPULATION

10%

RUSSIA’S BIKIN NATIONAL PARK HAS BECOME A UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE, FURTHER IMPROVING PROTECTION FOR TIGERS AND PRESERVING THE TRADITIONS OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLE

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• YOUR TIGERS ADOPTION UPDATE • ISSUE 18WWF.ORG.HK

© 1986 Panda symbol WWF ® “WWF” is a WWF Registered Trademark© 1986 熊貓標誌 WWF, ® “WWF”是世界自然基金會的註冊商標

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As well as helping to safeguard tigers, your adoption supports our other vital work to help protect our beautiful planet and its wildlife. Thank you.