Nepal’s tiger population is now 429, but recent fatal attacks in Chitwan highlight growing human-wildlife conflict, prompting calls for better management of problem animals and habitat coexistence.

Two tiger attacks within five days in Chitwan have once again thrown a spotlight on the difficult balance Nepal must strike between celebrating a major conservation victory and protecting communities that live beside recovering tiger habitats. On August 11, 65-year-old Mangale Bote was killed during a morning walk in Jitpur, Bharatpur Metropolitan City-28. Five days later, on August 16, another tiger entered Dubichaur settlement in Rapti Municipality-1, attacking 60-year-old Thakur Adhikari and a cow before wildlife teams tranquilised and captured the animal. Adhikari remains under treatment at Bharatpur Hospital.

These back-to-back incidents are not isolated. They form part of a wider pattern that has intensified as Nepal’s Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) numbers have climbed steadily over the past decade and a half. The latest national census, released on Global Tiger Day in late July 2026, put the wild population at 429 individuals – up from 355 in 2022, 235 in 2018, 198 in 2013 and just 121 in 2010. Chitwan National Park now supports the largest share with 145 tigers, followed by Bardiya (112), Parsa (71), Banke (51) and Shuklaphanta (50). The rise is widely regarded as one of the most successful big-cat recovery stories in Asia.

Conservation Gains Meet Everyday Risk

While the numbers mark a genuine achievement driven by anti-poaching efforts, habitat protection, community stewardship and international partnerships, they have also increased the frequency of encounters between people and tigers. Most attacks occur during ordinary livelihood activities – collecting firewood, grass or fodder, herding livestock or walking near forest edges. 

A recent study titled “Tigers in the Neighbourhood: Factors Associated with Fatal Tiger Attacks in a Human-Dominated Landscape, Nepal,” led by Dr. Babu Ram Lamichhane and Bed Kumar Dhakal, analysed attacks between 2010 and 2024. It found that more than 90 per cent of tiger attacks took place inside forests. Nearly 70 per cent occurred in buffer zones, 24 per cent outside protected areas, and only about 6.5 per cent inside national parks themselves. Roughly 47 per cent of incidents were concentrated around the periphery of Chitwan National Park, although attacks rose sharply in the Banke-Bardiya complex and the Far West between 2019 and 2023.

Men were attacked more often, yet women faced higher fatality rates. Victims were frequently alone or in small groups, and those bent over or sitting while collecting resources were more vulnerable than people standing or walking. The majority of those attacked had limited formal education and many were hill migrants living in the Terai lowlands.

Managing Problem Tigers

Officials at the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC) acknowledge that the focus has shifted from simply increasing tiger numbers to managing a healthy, sustainable population and reducing human casualties. Director General Dr. Buddhi Sagar Paudel said problem tigers – those involved in attacks, injured, or repeatedly entering settlements – are captured and held in enclosures. Chitwan alone currently keeps around eight such animals in holding centres; nationwide the figure stands at roughly 16. Because space is limited, some recently captured animals have been transferred to Parsa National Park.

The government is examining three longer-term options: continued holding in cages, placement in zoos that meet official standards, and the establishment of a dedicated tiger sanctuary in the Devnagar area of Chitwan. The proposed sanctuary, planned on about 50–52 hectares, would house 15 to 20 problem tigers in relatively natural enclosures and could also serve as a tourism attraction, helping to offset the high cost of feeding and caring for animals that can no longer be released into the wild. Budget allocations have already been made for the project, and a human-tiger interface programme covering Chitwan, Bardiya and Banke has received roughly Rs 350 million through WWF support.

Paudel stressed that earlier studies of ecological carrying capacity in specific areas should not be read as a national ceiling of 500 tigers. The priority now, he said, is protecting existing grasslands, wetlands and corridors rather than expanding habitat solely to accommodate further growth. The rate of increase has already begun to slow.

Community Perception and Practical Solutions

Spokesperson Bed Kumar Dhakal noted that tiger attacks in Chitwan have remained relatively stable despite the high local population, partly because communities there benefit from tourism and hold a more positive view of the species. Behaviour-change campaigns that teach safer practices around wildlife have reduced incidents in Bardiya and should be expanded elsewhere, he says, adding that fragmented habitats that force tigers and people into closer contact remain a key driver of conflict.

Researchers and officials alike emphasise adaptive management of buffer zones and corridors, safety protocols, alternative livelihoods that reduce dependence on forest resources, and proactive removal of conflict-causing individuals. Expanding wildlife rescue centres to every province and linking them with tourism is also under discussion. Resources and infrastructure for managing problematic wildlife are still inadequate, Dhakal said, and greater investment in protected areas is needed.