How does a tiger react when it sees an ‘eye’ or ‘X’ painted on the hindquarters of cows and buffalos? A team of conservationists in Chitwan’s Madi area have been studying how tigers respond to domestic animals marked with such symbols.

Madi, nestled between the Chitwan National Park (CNP) and Someshwar forest, has seen loss of lives and property every year due to frequent human-animal conflict. Local farmers are the hardest hit as the tigers enter settlement and kill livestock or prey on grazing animals. The study is inspired by findings from Africa, where lions generally do not attack domestic animals painted with an ‘eye’ or ‘X’.

Som Bahadur Sarki, a resident of Krishnanagar Bihanitol in ward 9 of Madi Municipality, rears buffaloes to eke out a living. He has seven buffaloes—four adults and three calves. It is not possible to tether all the buffaloes in the shed and manage fodder and other food for them. The Sarki family takes the buffaloes to graze in the forest.

To the south of Sarki’s house lies the Tamata Anar Buffer Zone Community Forest, while Riukhola flows in the north. Just beyond the river is the CNP, the country’s first national park.

“The buffer zone community forest is only 100 metres away from our settlement. The Riukhola and the national park forest are about 300 metres away. We have to struggle to protect our livestock from tigers,” complained Sarki.

The Someshwar forest and national park forests are the major tiger habitats. The big cats frequently roam in the Tamata Anar Buffer Zone Community Forest, making it a challenge for farmers to protect their goats, cows and buffaloes. Sarki must remain on high alert not only while grazing his buffaloes in the forests, but also at night, as tigers enter sheds and attack animals.

On Tuesday, a joint team of representatives from the Sauraha office of the National Trust for Nature Conservation and Chester Zoo of the United Kingdom visited Sarki’s house. They painted ‘X’ signs on the hind legs of his buffaloes. The team plans to paint ‘X’ and ‘eye’ on more animals of the Madi area.

“We have painted these symbols on cows and buffaloes to study how tigers react,” said Anil Prasai, senior conservation officer at Sauraha office of the National Trust for Nature Conservation. According to him, research conducted in Botswana in Africa with similar signs proved effective in deterring predators.

“Carnivorous animals like tigers and leopards usually attack their prey from behind. The painted eyes or symbols may trick them into perceiving the animal’s rear as front and prevent attacks. The study will help us understand how tigers respond to the signs,” said Prasai.

Darwin Initiative, a UK government grant scheme that helps conserve biodiversity and local communities, has been working in Chitwan through the Chester Zoo Programme since last year in coordination with the National Trust for Nature Conservation. The programme will also conduct a similar study in India’s Valmiki Tiger Reserve, which borders the Madi area.

According to Disha Sharma, project manager of the Chester Zoo Programme, the team plans to mark at least 150 livestock in Nepal and as many in India. The number could increase as per the demand of the local people, she added.

Human-animal conflict remains a major problem in the Ayodhyapuri area in Madi as the number of wild animals like tigers have been increasing. According to Shivaji Gayak, chairman of Ayodhyapuri Buffer Zone Community Forest Users’ Group, tigers and leopards attacked 24 domestic animals in the Madi Ayodhyapuri area over the past one year.

According to data from the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, there were 121 tigers in Nepal in 2009. The number has almost tripled to 355, according to the tiger census 2022. Chitwan is home to 128 tigers, according to the 2022 census. The census of 2018 showed Chitwan National Park had 93 tigers.