Nepal refuge tiger population declines

WASHINGTON, July 7 (UPI) -- U.S. conservationists say they are alarmed by the dramatic decline in Bengal tigers in the Suklaphanta Wildlife Reserve in Nepal.

The World Wildlife Fund said the refuge once boasted among the highest densities of the endangered species in the eastern Himalayas. An April survey of the 117-square-mile refuge, however, showed a population of 6-14 tigers, down from 20-50 tigers found during 2005.

"The government of Nepal made a low-key announcement on July 1 based on the results of a long-term camera trap study conducted in large part by WWF," the Geneva, Switzerland-headquartered organization said, noting officials identified poaching as perhaps the major cause of the tigers' declining numbers.

"The loss of tigers in Suklaphanta is undoubtedly linked to the powerful global mafia that controls illegal wildlife trade," said Jon Miceler, managing director of WWF's eastern Himalayas program in Washington. "The evidence suggests that Nepal's endangered tigers are increasingly vulnerable to this despicable trade that has already emptied several Indian tiger reserves -- clearly, this is symptomatic of the larger tiger crisis in the region.

"We need a stronger, more sustained response to this issue in order to protect the future of tigers in the wild."