Visit Bharatpur to behold majestic Bengal tigers up close

By Basanta Parajuli,Chitwan, Mar. 28: One can closely observe the Royal Bengal Tiger, which is considered an endangered animal species, in Bharatpur of Chitwan these days.

This rare opportunity has been created at the Wildlife Rescue Centre of Devnagar in Bharatpur-6.Two rescued male tigers have been kept in two cages at the Centre, and the visitors can see them from the scaffolding by paying a certain amount of fee. 

The rescue centre has been established in the forest area under the Barandabhar Forest Consumer Committee, which is considered a corridor for wildlife movement between Chitwan National Park and the Chure range.On the occasion of Bharatpur Visit Year 2024, the Diyalo Bangala Museum and Wildlife Rescue Centre have been opened to the public as new destinations by Bharatpur Metropolitan City.  

Mayor Renu Dahal inaugurated the Wildlife Rescue Centre at a function on Wednesday. Dahal said that the Centre would provide support for the sustainable promotion of tourism in Bharatpur.

"This wildlife rescue centre will help develop tourism. The metropolis is involved in its management," she said. "When the park was closed, food management for animals was becoming difficult. Now, after arranging to allow the tourists to see the animals by paying, food management will not be a problem."

Ganesh Prasad Tiwari, Information Officer of Chitwan National Park, said that the two rescued tigers are kept at the centre. The two tigers were brought under control from Banke National Park and Belsahar Buffer Zone Community Forest of Nawalparasi after they turned into man-eaters.  

The 8-year-old male tiger was taken under control from Banke on March 2, 2022, and was brought to Chitwan. Another 14-year-old male tiger was brought under control on September 28, 2020. Statistics from the National Park showed that a 6-year-old tiger was brought from Banke after it killed five people and an 11-year-old tiger was brought from Nawalparasi after it killed one person and some domestic animals. They are now caged in the rescue centre. 

"The tigers that were causing problems by attacking people were captured and locked in cages in the park. But there was a budget problem to feed them," Tiwari said. "Now, there is no problem with food when tourists are allowed to observe them by charging a fee."

Senior Conservation Officer of Chitwan National Park Dil Bahadur Purja Pun said that although only tigers are kept now, they were planning to add rhinos by building bigger cages."Only 5 per cent of wild animals are problematic. Animals that come to human settlements because of old age, injury and hunger cause problems," Pun said. "In the case of rhinos, many claves of young age are found in the wild." He said that even now such animals are being rescued in different places of the park.

"If we look at the case of Chitwan, two more tigers in Kasara, two tigers and three rhinos in Sauraha are being protected," he said. Tiwari said that the tigers were relocated to the centre thinking that it would help attract more tourists during the Bharatpur Visit Year.Chitwan National Park can accommodate four tigers at Kasara and two at Sauraha.If necessary, the problematic tigers and other wild animals could also be rescued and managed, he said. 

The biggest problem is feeding the rescued wild animals. There is no source of food for rescued tigers and rhinos in the park. A tiger needs up to 10 kg of meat a day. According to the 2022 census, there are 355 tigers in Nepal, and 128 of them in Chitwan National Park. 

Similarly, according to the 2019 census, out of 752 rhinos in Nepal, 694 were in Chitwan. It is said that 5 per cent of them will suffer from problems in one way or another. According to the National Park Act, wild animals can be protected and kept by building zoos, rescue centres or hospitals for research.