The installation of camera traps for the tiger census has begun in the third block of the Chitwan-Parsa Complex from Thursday, said officials.

Senior ecologist Haribhadra Acharya of the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation said the census work in the first and second blocks of the complex has been completed, paving the way for camera installation in the third block.

According to Acharya, the tiger census in the Chitwan-Parsa complex commenced on December 16, with each block surveyed for an average of 20 days. “After completing work in the first two blocks, the third block has been taken up after 40 days,” he said, adding that the goal is to complete the census across all three blocks within two months.

Camera installation has started simultaneously in areas west and east of the Parsa National Park office, covering sections under the Parsa, Bara and Makawanpur division forest offices. The census continues to use the camera trap method first adopted in 2009-10. This time, the survey area has been expanded to include not only national parks but also extensive forest areas outside park boundaries where tigers have been recorded.

Ganesh Panta, chief conservation officer of Chitwan National Park, said the four-yearly census is being conducted with support from the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, the National Trust for Nature Conservation, WWF Nepal and Zoological Society of London Nepal, in coordination with the Nepali Army, Nepal Police and other stakeholders.

According to senior conservation officer Ramchandra Khatri of Parsa National Park, the last census held in 2022 recorded 355 adult tigers nationwide, including 41 in Parsa, 128 in Chitwan and 125 in Bardiya.