The bridge, which once connected Rajapur with other parts of Bardiya, is being refurbished to restore transport links between Gajuri and Siddhalek after floods swept away the concrete bridge.

Farmers in Kailali, Bardiya, Salyan and Dang have suffered losses to paddy, fruits, and vegetables, raising fears of lower yields and increasing demands for government relief.

Farmers in Kailali, Bardiya, Salyan and Dang have suffered losses to paddy, fruit and vegetables, raising fears of lower yields and increasing demands for government relief.

The population in the Khairapur conservation area has fallen to 210, with leopard attacks accounting for the most deaths.

Paddy was damaged across more than 50,000 hectares as heavy rain and strong winds hit the district just before harvest.

The tiger had been entering settlements for a month and killing cattle and goats, prompting a 19-day search by wildlife officials and security personnel.

New barriers built along an irrigation canal have reduced elephant and other wildlife incursions into settlements, but communities remain exposed where electric fencing is poorly maintained.

Around 20 rhinos are believed to have crossed the border over the past two years.

Visitor numbers fall slightly in the last fiscal year as officials cite domestic protests and the war in West Asia, although the park remains open for year-round jeep safaris.

Locals warn of possible inundation as halted flood-control works leave communities exposed during the monsoon.

Farmers are searching across borders and cooperative depots for scarce chemical fertiliser, with some forced to transplant without it and others facing difficulties bringing supplies from India.

Grain markets across the Tarai are disappearing as direct farm buying and declining production weaken farmers' bargaining power.

Deaths from leopard, tiger and elephant attacks have nearly doubled from last year, with officials linking the rise in leopard encounters to growing tiger populations in protected forests.

Rising cases of diarrhoea, fever and dehydration strain emergency services as patients return disappointed after finding OPD services closed during public holidays.

Bardiya District Hospital is out of stock of more than half of the 98 free medicines provided by the government, forcing patients to pay for medicines themselves.