LOCATION: Butwal, Central NEPAL
TARGET SPECIES: BENGAL TIGER (Panthera tigris tigris)
Partner: Community Forest Groups
STATUS: in progress
Partner, tiger biologist Sam Helle is working in the vicinity of Butwal, a large metropolitan area located between two large national parks in Nepal, Chitwan and Bardia. Tigers have been seen in the area, so there may be a “tiger bottleneck” happening in Butwal as tigers try to travel between the two large protected areas.
Partner, tiger biologist Sam Helle is working in the vicinity of Butwal, a large metropolitan area located between two large national parks in Nepal, Chitwan and Bardia. Tigers have been seen in the area, so there may be a “tiger bottleneck” happening in Butwal as tigers try to travel between the two large protected areas.
This bottleneck creates an important location for tiger researchers like Sam to study. Are tigers able to get through this human-inhabited area or not?
Sam will be meeting with community forest groups and other local people in the villages next to Butwal to try to determine whether tigers are able to travel through it. Community Conservation Inc will be helping with the aspects of Sam’s work that involve local communities.
CC and Sam are reaching out to local community forest groups together, meeting with them, and asking for their help and ideas about which areas tigers are using.
She will be looking for signs, tracks, and scat to determine tiger presence as well as setting up camera traps. Then she will be doing genetic analysis on the tiger scat to determine if tigers on one side of Butwal are breeding with tigers on the other side. If so, this would support the theory that the tigers are able to get through.
