But by the time Tharu was growing up in the 1970s, the tiger population had dwindled to just 20% of its peak. As an adult, he became involved in forest conservation and was committed to protecting their habitat. Similarly, the creation of artificial watering holes has also helped to disperse the tiger population and direct animals away from local communities. “It is crucial to prioritize community development, to ensure that communities become advocates for tiger conservation,” Paudel adds. Even as human-animal conflicts increase, Tharu says the local communities are happy to see the tiger population flourish.

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Persons: Bhadai Tharu, Tharu, “, ” Tharu recommitted, Vijay Bedi, ”, Umesh Paudel, Paudel, Anupam Roy, iStockphoto, NTNC, ” Tharu Organizations: CNN, WWF, Trust for Nature Conservation, Parks, Nepalese Army Locations: Bardiya, Nepal, India, Asia, Tharu’s, Khata, Uttar Pradesh