As the number of tigers in Nepal grows, so does its risk. On the one hand, there is international and national excitement over the rising number of tigers, on the other, people are still dying from tiger attacks. The latest tiger census in Nepal conducted in 2022, counted 355 tigers.

After people continue to die in tiger attacks in Bardiya and Banke, the National Trust for Nature Conservation (NTNC) has started a behavior change campaign in late 2021 to educate residents of Banke and Bardia national parks, Khata Protected Area, and the surrounding buffer zone. There are 19 youths spearheading the campaign in Bardiya, while nine local youths are involved in Banke. They are training the local residents on how to coexist with tigers and fostering behavior change. Similarly, five youths are leading the campaign in the Khata Protected area of Bardiya. The work and activities of the youth can also be followed on the Facebook page titled 'Behavior Change Campaign'.

Behavior change campaigns in Banke and Bardiya serve as important bridges to mitigate the risks posed by tigers to local communities. Since 2021, a youth-led poaching control mobilization campaign has been active in these two districts. Youth who do well in the campaign are also included in the behavior change campaign. One such participant is 35-year-old Kamal Khadka.

Khadka, a youth leader of the 'Behavior Change Campaign' started in Bardiya from 2021, educated the people of Auri in ward 8 of Barbardiya Municipality about tigers. Using photos for his lessons, he showed a photograph of a tiger to more than 50 locals, from children to the elderly, gathered in the 'buffer zone' area of Sompur forest in Auri.

“Look, our lives are intertwined with the forest. We cannot survive without it. These tigers and other wild animals are not like us. They don't change their ways. So we need to change our daily activities. Rather than confronting these animals, we should learn to coexist. We need to change our behavior accordingly,” he told them.

Umesh Paudel, assistant natural resource conservator of NTNC's Bardiya National Park, says that the reason for starting the behavior change campaign is to prevent tiger attacks.

“If you look at the statistics, the number of deaths due to tiger attacks increased in 2019 (post-Covid) in Banke and Bardiya. That year nine people died and three were injured. In 2020, six people died and eight were injured. In 2021, thirteen people died and one person was injured. What this indicates is that locals who had gone elsewhere or abroad for work returned home during the Covid pandemic. And more people entered the forest, leading to a rise in tiger attacks and deaths and injuries,” he said.

Paudel believes that the behavior change campaign, supported by local youths, has been effective in mitigating human-wildlife conflicts. Over the past four years, hundreds of locals have been trained on how to coexist with tigers and other animals. In 2022, nine people died and 14 were injured in tiger attacks. In 2023, five people died, and this number dropped to just one in 2024.

Paudel said, “It is not that the number of deaths due to tiger attacks has stopped completely, but the behavior change campaign has proven effective in reducing incidents. It educates people living in and around Banke and Bardiya on how to avoid tiger attacks, safely enter the forest, and respond if they encounter a tiger.”

If we look at the data of the last six fiscal years, tiger attacks have killed 68 people nationwide. According to the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, 10 people were killed by tiger attacks in the fiscal year 2023-24. Similarly, 12 people died in 2022-23; 21 in 2021-22; 13 in 2020-21; eight in 2019-20; and four in 2018-19.

“With the increase in the number of deaths due to tiger attacks, managing the situation has become a major challenge. The statistics are alarming, but efforts are being made to reduce incidents by raising awareness in Banke and Bardiya areas,” says Ajit Tumbahanphe, conservation officer in the Bardiya conservation program.

“The behavior change campaign is proving very effective. The campaign was launched post Covid to ensure that tigers and humans can coexist, and so far more than 10,000 local residents have benefited from it,” he added.

After Khadka's interaction with the locals, 76-year-old Pradeep Kumar KC remarked that such a programme has greatly benefited the communities. He said educating the younger generation alongside will help prevent future incidents.

“We have a habit of going to the forest alone, not exercising restraint when entering the forest, and doing things on our own accord. This interaction has taught us how we can coexist with animals, including tigers, in the forest.”

Sita Rani, who is also a tiger-attack victim, is one of the participants in the campaign. A tiger killed her two goats. After the interaction, she said, “Now I know what to do when I go to the forest or see a tiger.”

Member-Secretary of NTNC Naresh Subedi believes that the conflict between tigers and humans can be reduced if the necessary and preferred prey species for tigers are available in reserves and parks. This, he claims, will significantly reduce tiger-human conflicts. “Our plan is to implement science-based conservation in Nepal.”

“The conflict between tigers and humans is how to change it into coexistence,” Subedi said.

The National Trust for Nature Conservation helps in managing potentially problematic tigers through a proactive monitoring system.’