<figure><img width="640" height="399" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110161144/636d1d229c7e80680e0af397jpeg.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption></figcaption></figure>The latest edition of Nepal’s <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/how-many-tigers-in-nepal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">tiger census</a> began on Sunday in which 300 enumerators will span out across Parsa, Bardia, Banke, Chitwan and Shuklaphanta National Parks to record <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/tigers-move-up-the-himalaya/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">the big cat population</a> in the country.
The Tiger census begins just after Nepal finished counting its human population. The Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC) will release the figure on World Tiger Day on 29 July. In 2018, the total number of <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-tigers-now-number-235/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">wild tigers in the country was 235</a>.
For the census, Chitwan-Parsa region has been considered as one area, which is divided into three blocks. Banke-Bardia as the second area has been divided into four blocks. Shuklaphanta and Laljandi have been categorised as the third.
A grid of two kilometres in length and one in width will be constructed in the divided block. The three blocks of Chitwan Parsa have been divided into 1,924 grids. These grids are equipped with automatic cameras to capture tiger activity.
“We’ve made such arrangements that the tigers for certain will cross the path with our camera traps,” says Director General of DNPWC Ram Chandra Kandel. “We will then calculate the figure by analysing all the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepals-highest-ever-tiger-sighting/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">tigers captured by the camera</a>.”
Some 3,000 camera trap pictures will be taken throughout the survey, which will then be analysed by trained technicians. While there is a possibility of the same tiger being photographed repeatedly, two big cats can be told apart by the length of their fur, which is different for each individual. Before the year 2000, tigers used to be counted as per their steps.
Nepal is an international model for tiger conservation and the first country to double the population of its big cats following the Tiger Conference in Petersburg, Russia in 2009. It is expected to record the highest numbers of tigers in the country yet.
The Nepal government first started the census in 1995, back when there were only 98 of them. In 2018, the country recorded 235 tigers, up from 121 in 2009. Chitwan National Park has the most number of mammals at 93, closely followed by 87 in Bardia. There are 21 more in Banke, 18 in Parsa and 16 in Shuklaphanta, according to the last survey.
Of late, there have been <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/tiger-selfie-is-highest-ever-sighting-in-nepal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">more frequent sightings of big cats</a> also at higher elevations. In April 2020, a Royal Bengal Tiger was sighted at 2,500m in Dadeldhura. This was followed up by another sighting, this time at 3,165m, in the forest of Ilam.
But conservation successes have also brought about challenges. Protected areas are now overcrowded with predators compared to their prey density. This is driving tigers and other mammals outside forests in search of food, in turn leading to an increase in human-animal conflicts. 
Increased human-animal conflict threatens social harmony and endangers hard achieved past gains in conservation. 
But wildlife-friendly infrastructure such as overpass and underpass have shown to significantly reduce human-animal conflicts in Nepal, so has better management of protected areas including transplantation of animals taking into consideration predator-prey ratio and plant species of the location. 
Read also:
<a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=16820#.Ya16_cFBzOS">Back to jungle</a>, Nirmal Ghosh
<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/sun-striped-shadows/">Sun striped shadows</a>, Lisa Choegyal

original

674x448

610x380

500x500

400x266

400x240

400x203

301x200

Nepal counting its tigers

<img width="1366" height="871" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110131116/636cebda9c7e80680e09ad2ejpeg.jpg" alt=""/>Nepal’s first wave of the coronavirus last year now looks like a ripple, and what the country is now witnessing is the main eruption. 
A lot of the attention is on Kathmandu Valley because more than half the daily new Covid-19 cases are here. But it is the Tarai districts bordering India that have been ravaged first, <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/as-india-peaks-covid-19-spreads-rapidly-in-nepal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">just like last year</a>, but on a much vaster scale. 
Epidemiologists say what happens in India arrives in Nepal four weeks later, and the border cities precede Kathmandu by two weeks. Banke district, for example, which is the gateway to Nepal for most returnees from India, is the second most affected after Kathmandu, with 4,811 <a href="https://covid19.mohp.gov.np/covid/englishSituationReport/6091313e5e4ad_SitRep450_COVID-19_4-05-2021_EN.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">active cases</a>. 
Banke’s positivity rate is shocking: <a href="https://covid19.mohp.gov.np/covid/englishSituationReport/6091313e5e4ad_SitRep450_COVID-19_4-05-2021_EN.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">210 of the 299 PCR tests</a> at Nepalganj Medical College (NMC) in Kohalpur in 24 hours on Tuesday were positive -- 19 times higher than the rate a month earlier.
The doubling time for the infection at Bheri Hospital in Nepalganj is only eight days. The hospital did 1.6% of all the tests nationwide in the past two months, but had 5.35% of the new cases in that time. 
One would have thought that the first wave would have prepared Banke and indeed Nepal for this one. But what is happening now is a <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/editorial/the-covid-tsunami/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">tsunami</a>.
Last year, when we caught up with <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/quarantine-guidelines-impossible-to-meet-local-governments/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Deputy Mayor Uma Thapa Magar of Nepalganj</a>, she was trying to enforce mandatory quarantine on returnees from India, and trying to make sense of a virus that no one knew much about. The mixed directives or inadequate resources from the federal government did not help. Municipalities were left to fend for themselves. 
“We were learning as we went along, this time we are dealing with a completely different virus," says Deputy Mayor Magar. "Last year the patient numbers were manageable, even with home isolation. This year, a high share of those who test positive need hospital beds with oxygen. If we cannot provide oxygen, we lose them. There is enough oxygen, but not enough cylinders." 
The first wave was a dress rehearsal for the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/unmasking-the-second-wave/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">second one</a>. Local leaders have learnt that <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/the-india-connection-in-nepals-covid-19-status/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">the border is the chokepoint</a>, and 70% of cases initially were among those with travel history. At the Indian border, health personnel are working in three shifts to screen inbound Nepalis with antigen tests. Those testing negative are kept in holding centres, then transported to home districts by local governments. Positive patients are kept in isolation in Nepalganj, or taken to their domiciles with the support of the Red Cross. These pre-established networks from the first wave have made the work smoother, but the sheer numbers have overwhelmed local capacity. 
Bheri Hospital had 140 beds and NMC had 50, which had been expanded to 220 and 300 during the first wave. As our report this week shows, <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-designates-more-hospitals-for-covid-19-treatment/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Nepalganj has also added isolation centres</a>, including with oxygen supply, to reduce the pressure on the hospitals. But even with all this, it is not enough.
“We are operating beyond capacity,” says Prakash Bahadur Thapa, the physician who heads Bheri Hospital, sounding fatigued on the phone. “Of the 277 patients now, 180 need oxygen and 9 are on ventilator support, 77 in ICU beds. We are using up to 400 oxygen cylinders daily, before Covid we needed only 10-20 per day.”
More than 100 staff at Bheri Hospital have tested positive. More support has been added, but even doctors and nurses with mild symptoms are caring for patients in the Covid-19 wards. A bed is available only when a patient recovers or dies. Says Thapa, “There is no comparison between the first and the second wave, and the next two months will be difficult.”  
The number of deaths is also higher during the current spread, and even the Nepal Army is overwhelmed in <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/kathmandu-electric-crematorium-running-non-stop/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">management of bodies</a>. We asked Thapa what is most urgently needed. His reply: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-designates-more-hospitals-for-covid-19-treatment/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">more hospitals need to be included as Covid-19 facilities</a>. Just two hospitals with limited beds are already inadequate. 
Nepalganj shows that local governments are best placed to react urgently to the ground situation. But Deputy Mayor Thapa Magar says the scale of this crisis means that they need help with medical supplies, oxygen, cylinders, setting up more isolation centres. Voluntary organisations can also help by mobilising awareness about using masks and avoiding crowds. The only way to stay alive in the pandemic is not to fall sick in the first place. 
Physician Thapa at Bheri Hospital puts it bluntly: “In the coming days, it will be the availability of oxygen that will determine how many live and how many die.” 
An exasperated Sunil Singh, chair of Ward 2, says Nepalganj must declare a health emergency. “Imagine if this was an earthquake or a flood disaster, what would our response be? More medical supplies, more health staff, temporary health centres, food rations for the needy. Kathmandu and Karnali Province have not done enough. This is a war. We are hanging by a thread, how much longer before it breaks? 
Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/our-health-system-cant-contain-the-pandemic/">“Our health system can’t contain the pandemic”</a>, Nepali Times

1250x600

1084x550

This is war

<img width="1366" height="871" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109111140/636b83b69c7e80680e067751jpeg.jpg" alt=""/>Nepal’s first wave of the coronavirus last year now looks like a ripple, and what the country is now witnessing is the main eruption. 
A lot of the attention is on Kathmandu Valley because more than half the daily new Covid-19 cases are here. But it is the Tarai districts bordering India that have been ravaged first, <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/as-india-peaks-covid-19-spreads-rapidly-in-nepal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">just like last year</a>, but on a much vaster scale. 
Epidemiologists say what happens in India arrives in Nepal four weeks later, and the border cities precede Kathmandu by two weeks. Banke district, for example, which is the gateway to Nepal for most returnees from India, is the second most affected after Kathmandu, with 4,811 <a href="https://covid19.mohp.gov.np/covid/englishSituationReport/6091313e5e4ad_SitRep450_COVID-19_4-05-2021_EN.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">active cases</a>. 
Banke’s positivity rate is shocking: <a href="https://covid19.mohp.gov.np/covid/englishSituationReport/6091313e5e4ad_SitRep450_COVID-19_4-05-2021_EN.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">210 of the 299 PCR tests</a> at Nepalganj Medical College (NMC) in Kohalpur in 24 hours on Tuesday were positive -- 19 times higher than the rate a month earlier.
The doubling time for the infection at Bheri Hospital in Nepalganj is only eight days. The hospital did 1.6% of all the tests nationwide in the past two months, but had 5.35% of the new cases in that time. 
One would have thought that the first wave would have prepared Banke and indeed Nepal for this one. But what is happening now is a <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/editorial/the-covid-tsunami/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">tsunami</a>.
Last year, when we caught up with <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/quarantine-guidelines-impossible-to-meet-local-governments/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Deputy Mayor Uma Thapa Magar of Nepalganj</a>, she was trying to enforce mandatory quarantine on returnees from India, and trying to make sense of a virus that no one knew much about. The mixed directives or inadequate resources from the federal government did not help. Municipalities were left to fend for themselves. 
“We were learning as we went along, this time we are dealing with a completely different virus," says Deputy Mayor Magar. "Last year the patient numbers were manageable, even with home isolation. This year, a high share of those who test positive need hospital beds with oxygen. If we cannot provide oxygen, we lose them. There is enough oxygen, but not enough cylinders." 
The first wave was a dress rehearsal for the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/unmasking-the-second-wave/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">second one</a>. Local leaders have learnt that <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/the-india-connection-in-nepals-covid-19-status/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">the border is the chokepoint</a>, and 70% of cases initially were among those with travel history. At the Indian border, health personnel are working in three shifts to screen inbound Nepalis with antigen tests. Those testing negative are kept in holding centres, then transported to home districts by local governments. Positive patients are kept in isolation in Nepalganj, or taken to their domiciles with the support of the Red Cross. These pre-established networks from the first wave have made the work smoother, but the sheer numbers have overwhelmed local capacity. 
Bheri Hospital had 140 beds and NMC had 50, which had been expanded to 220 and 300 during the first wave. As our report this week shows, <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-designates-more-hospitals-for-covid-19-treatment/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Nepalganj has also added isolation centres</a>, including with oxygen supply, to reduce the pressure on the hospitals. But even with all this, it is not enough.
“We are operating beyond capacity,” says Prakash Bahadur Thapa, the physician who heads Bheri Hospital, sounding fatigued on the phone. “Of the 277 patients now, 180 need oxygen and 9 are on ventilator support, 77 in ICU beds. We are using up to 400 oxygen cylinders daily, before Covid we needed only 10-20 per day.”
More than 100 staff at Bheri Hospital have tested positive. More support has been added, but even doctors and nurses with mild symptoms are caring for patients in the Covid-19 wards. A bed is available only when a patient recovers or dies. Says Thapa, “There is no comparison between the first and the second wave, and the next two months will be difficult.”  
The number of deaths is also higher during the current spread, and even the Nepal Army is overwhelmed in <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/kathmandu-electric-crematorium-running-non-stop/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">management of bodies</a>. We asked Thapa what is most urgently needed. His reply: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-designates-more-hospitals-for-covid-19-treatment/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">more hospitals need to be included as Covid-19 facilities</a>. Just two hospitals with limited beds are already inadequate. 
Nepalganj shows that local governments are best placed to react urgently to the ground situation. But Deputy Mayor Thapa Magar says the scale of this crisis means that they need help with medical supplies, oxygen, cylinders, setting up more isolation centres. Voluntary organisations can also help by mobilising awareness about using masks and avoiding crowds. The only way to stay alive in the pandemic is not to fall sick in the first place. 
Physician Thapa at Bheri Hospital puts it bluntly: “In the coming days, it will be the availability of oxygen that will determine how many live and how many die.” 
An exasperated Sunil Singh, chair of Ward 2, says Nepalganj must declare a health emergency. “Imagine if this was an earthquake or a flood disaster, what would our response be? More medical supplies, more health staff, temporary health centres, food rations for the needy. Kathmandu and Karnali Province have not done enough. This is a war. We are hanging by a thread, how much longer before it breaks? 
Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/our-health-system-cant-contain-the-pandemic/">“Our health system can’t contain the pandemic”</a>, Nepali Times

The past year will go down in history as one great global disaster with the coronavirus pandemic leading the pack of calamities from fires to floods that have left their stamp on a world sadly lacking in informed and enlightened leadership. It was therefore great pleasure to escape from Kathmandu in search of clean air and adventure in the wilderness of West Nepal.Road works leaving the capital and between Narayanghat and Butwal meant that a journey that I normally reckon to take seven hours, instead took nine and could have been worse if we had not had a fairly clear run, over the Chure Pahar at Daunne. To be fair to the Department of Roads, the work in progress will improve matters greatly in the long term and the absence of foreign tourists has provided an opportunity to do so with less disruption than might otherwise be the case. Hotels, meanwhile, are taking the opportunity to work on upgrades that will, hopefully make for a better future. We spent the night at an old favourite, Club de Novo, which is currently undergoing renovation.Life looked up as we continued to head West along the Mahendra Highway, making for <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/its-a-jungle-out-there/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Bardia National Park</a>. We made good time and, on a whim, stopped at the headquarters of Banke National Park in search of information on this, the newest of Nepal’s National Parks.Covering an area of 550 square kilometers, Banke adjoins Bardia National Park to the West and the two are connected through a system of wildlife corridors comprising community and national forests to Suhelwa and Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuaries in neighbouring India. In its entirety, it forms one vast protected area for which both governments deserve credit. The Chief Warden, Shyam Kumar Saha, and his staff were most helpful and offered to provide a Game Scout as guide, should we wish to visit the Park on our return.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110111148/636cd7769c7e80680e092ddfjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="924"/><figcaption>Golden Mahseer, Babai Bridge, Bardia National Park</figcaption></figure>We continued to Bardia, with a brief stop at the Babai Bridge to <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/nepalis-go-salmon-fishing-in-kamchatka/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">look at the fish</a> and crocodiles in the pool below the barrage. We stayed at Bardia Jungle Cottage, just outside the Park gates at Thakurdwara and enjoyed a pleasant day exploring the Park’s buffer zones and taking note of the changes in progress since my last visit eighteen months ago.From Bardia we progressed westwards, visiting the garden built as a memorial to the late King Mahendra at Tikapur, also popularly known as Tikapur Park. The park has a historical connection to King Mahendra, who was taken ill there whilst on a hunting trip, and is now sanctified in the form of a beautiful, well- maintained lush garden.There is also a viewing platform adjoining the Park, where, in the past, I have observed Gangetic dolphins frolicking in the Mohana River. On this visit, the river was full and the current too strong for the dolphins to show themselves, but with luck, the waters may subside and return to their past tranquil state and we may once again be able to enjoy the company of these beautiful creatures.Our next stop was at Ghodaghodi Tal, a Ramsar listed wetland comprising a series of interconnected lakes that provide habitat for many species of both resident and migrant waterfowl. The small temple on the site has now expanded into a religious school and the increased human activity seems to have driven many of the birds away from the new view tower constructed for the purpose of watching them.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110111148/636cd7799c7e80680e092de0jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="3086"><figcaption>Tikapur Park, Kailali</figcaption></figure>There is also a gate nowadays in front of the lake and a ticket counter where one has to buy a ticket in order to see the site. Legend has it that a hermit cursed the Hindu god, Shiva and goddess Parvati and turned them into horses, leaving them to encircle the lake, and so a temple dedicated to them appears by the lake.Another story relates how, a great flood once inundated several villages in the area. The raja sent out his trusted advisor mounted on his best Ghoda stallion to investigate. They never returned. The raja then sent another of his men mounted on his best Ghodi mare to find out what had happened. They too, never returned. And that is how the lake came to receive its name. It is said that, on still nights, one can still hear the sounds of the ghosts of the villagers who were drowned in the flood. I have never stayed to test this story out!<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110111148/636cd77c9c7e80680e092de1jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="399"><figcaption>Godaghodi Tal</figcaption></figure>Three kilometers East of Mahendranagar, we stopped to check in to Suda Farm Sanctum, a very pleasant little hotel with a garden and fish pond that attracted several species of waterbirds. In the evening we drove to the gate of Suklaphanta National Park to buy tickets for the next morning. The staff on duty seemed a little reluctant to sell us the tickets, saying that we would not be able to get a refund if our plans changed – which they very nearly did.The next morning, after an early breakfast we drove out onto the Highway only to be stopped immediately by the police who informed us that the road was closed due to a bundh! After explaining our plans they very kindly provided us with an escort to the Park gates, where we were met by our guide for the day, Mahananda Joshi. Once inside the Park, we were in a different world. Away from burning tyres and shouting mobs, we were able to enjoy the peace and quiet of the jungle, the only sounds being bird calls and the occasional alarm of a the Chital deer.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110111148/636cd77e9c7e80680e092de2jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="932"><figcaption>Hikmat Bhist’s former Silent Safari campsite, Suklaphanta National Park</figcaption></figure>A visit to Hikmat Bhist’s former camp site reminded me of the many pleasant evenings spent in that place listening to Hikmat’s tales of the past around a blazing fire, cupping our glasses while food would be prepared by chef Mangal, who we sadly lost Mangal to a tiger attack. I remembered, too, Peter Byrne, who had been given permission by Prince Basundhara to hunt in the forests of West Nepal with his high paying clients and who did much to contribute to the development of the Park. Many of the friends with whom I enjoyed Hikmat’s hospitality have now passed on, as has Hikmat himself, but they will always be remembered in that very special place.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110111148/636cd7829c7e80680e092de3jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1498" height="928"><figcaption>Barasingha, Suklaphanta National Park</figcaption></figure>We pressed on to the grass plains that give the Park its name and enjoyed the sight of herds of not only Barasingha (Swamp deer), for which <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/nepal-villages-learn-to-cope-with-climate-crisis/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Suklaphanta</a> is famous, but also Laguna (Hog deer), Chital (Spotted deer), Ratuwa (Barking deer) and the occasional Bandel Wild boar. We drove to boundary pillar 26, that marks Nepal’s border with India.I recall that Hikmat had once asked me to come to photograph squatters who were encroaching on the Park from the Indian side. He wanted evidence to produce to the concerned authorities. Whether or not my photographs had any effect I have no idea, but the squatters are now gone and the Indian side is also protected as the Philibit Tiger Reserve.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110111148/636cd7859c7e80680e092de4jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="937"><figcaption>Boundary Pillar, Nepal – India border, Suklaphanta National Park</figcaption></figure>On our return to Suda Farm through the bazaar, we could see signs of the protests that had taken place during the day. The highway was still blocked in one place, but a short detour took us around this and back to the sanctuary of the hotel.The following day, we started our return journey by driving to Nepalgunj, where we spent a very comfortable three nights’ stay at the new Soaltee Westend Premier Hotel. The next day, we decided to go exploring East of Nepalgunj, where the Rapti River disgorges itself into India, in search of ruins from the 4th Century BC. We did not find any ruins, but did stumble across Kanchanpur Forest, a beautiful patch of greenery amidst picturesque villages. We returned early to the hotel to enjoy a sauna and a plunge in the very cold swimming pool.The next morning we left after an early breakfast and drove to the Kohalpur office of Banke National Park. There we purchased our tickets, samosas and pakoras before continuing to Obari, the Park Headquarters, where we picked up Game Scout, Gopal Chand, who was to be our guide for the day. He proved to be an excellent guide and was very knowledgeable about the Park and related conservation issues. Infrastructure is still a work in progress, but there were sufficient roads to cover a lot of ground and appreciate the beauty of this lovely wildlife sanctuary.We did not see many mammals, but mainly monkeys (Rhesus macaque and Grey Langur) and deer and quite a variety of birds and came across fresh leopard tracks on a river bank. What animals we did see had not yet become accustomed to seeing vehicles and fled at our approach, but this will change over time and the park looks set to become one of the finest wildlife tourism destinations in Nepal. There are a number of waterholes under construction and several machan towers have been built throughout the area. We thoroughly enjoyed our day out.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110111148/636cd7889c7e80680e092de5jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="729"><figcaption>Banke National Park</figcaption></figure>Next morning we enjoyed a slightly later breakfast before checking out of the hotel and heading for Butwal. We stayed at D’Arcy’s Hotel, next to the bus park, but were given a quiet room at the back where we were able to spend an undisturbed night after a pizza dinner at the appropriately named, Lavish Lounge.In order to avoid the highway construction works, we decided to drive South to Bhairahawa and take the Postal Road via Parasi to Bardaghat, just short of Daunne. This also allowed us to visit Ramagrama, the site of the only undisturbed <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/buddhist-relics-in-western-nepal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Buddha relic</a> stupa. The other seven stupas where the ashes of Gautam Buddha were interred after his Mahaparinirvana and cremation, all in India, were opened by the Emperor Ashoka in the 3rd Century BC to coincide with the spread of Buddhism to countries such as Sri Lanka and Thailand.According to folklore, when Ashoka went to open the stupa at Ramagrama, he was prevented from doing so by a Nag cobra that was protecting the site. It is only relatively recently that the site has started to be investigated by the Department of Archaeology and it receives few visitors. A raised wooden walkway has been placed around the stupa in an attempt to prevent people from walking on the remains.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110111148/636cd78b9c7e80680e092de6jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="729"><figcaption>Ramagrama Relic Stupa, Nawalparasi</figcaption></figure>We were fortunate to have a relatively clear run over the hills at Daunne and arrived in Narayanghat just after midday and continued on to Jagatpur Lodge, where we had reserved accommodation. This was my third visit to Jagatpur and only reconfirmed my opinion that it is the finest wildlife lodge in Nepal. Our accommodation was in a spacious safari tent, complete with air conditioning and bathroom with hot and cold running water and a deck overlooking the watercourse in front of the lodge. This pool is a remnant of the former course of the Rapti River, which now runs further to the South, but gives onto community forest that is the habitat of many wild animals.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110111148/636cd78e9c7e80680e092de7jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="946"><figcaption>The view in front of Jagatpur Lodge</figcaption></figure>Hog Deer (Laguna) were an almost constant presence at the water, together with resident mugger crocodile, as well as many species of waterbirds. We also saw Chital, Ratuwa and on our last evening, a female rhino with a calf, come down to drink water. A member of the lodge staff once also saw a tiger right in front of the lodge. I have been most impressed, on recent visits to Jagatpur, with the network of community forests that form a buffer zone bordering the core National Park. Owned and managed by the local communities, from which they derive revenue, one’s chances of spotting many species are as good nowadays in the community forests as in the park itself.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110111148/636cd7929c7e80680e092de8jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="821"><figcaption>Dhurbe, the wild bull elephant</figcaption></figure>Our stay at Jagatpur was not planned in advance, but a last minute reaction to an announcement of political rallies across the country. Instead, we were able to enjoy a full morning in Chitwan National Park with guide Saran Darai and driver Resham, both of whom were excellent. Here, we were able to add Sambar to the list of deer species we encountered on our journey and were entertained by many dancing peacocks as a backdrop, while a rhino crossed the road. I also had my first wild elephant encounter in Chitwan in the form of Dhurbe, a wild bull, so named because he had killed a Nepal Army soldier of that name at a nearby outpost. The outpost is now also known as Dhurbe Post in memory of the unfortunate soldier.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110111148/636cd7949c7e80680e092de9jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="729"><figcaption>Rhino crossing the road with Peacock dancing behind, Chitwan National ParkFdhur</figcaption></figure>After a second night in the comfort of our luxury tent, it was time to head back to Kathmandu. We had had a good time and were back home in the early afternoon, in time for a cup of tea.

On the road in West Nepal

<figure><img width="760" height="428" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109151112/636bb5d09c7e80680e07bc25jpeg.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption>Nepali workers entering the border from India through Behaliya checkpoint in Rupandehi. Photo: MANORANJAN SHARMA</figcaption></figure>In July, as the government eased the first lockdown, people streamed <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/returnees-may-be-taking-coronavirus-to-rural-nepal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">across the border from India into Nepal</a>, spreading the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/as-india-peaks-covid-19-spreads-rapidly-in-nepal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">coronavirus infection along cities in the Tarai</a>. The districts from Jhapa to Parsa became hotspots. Hospitals ran out of ICU beds and ventilators, municipalities had no test kits left, and there were horror stories of patients dying while going from one hospital to another that refused admission. But it did not take too long for asymptomatic carriers to bring the virus into Kathmandu Valley, where population density and high mobility <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/covid-19-spreads-closer-to-nepals-ruling-circle/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">made the capital an ideal breeding ground for SARS-CoV-2</a>.   With 16 additional deaths on Monday and two on Tuesday, total Covid-19 fatality in Nepal has now reached 429. Kathmandu Valley alone accounts for over one-fourth of all deaths in Nepal from the virus. On Monday, Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur districts recorded 647 new cases (about half the nationwide total of 1,356). The tables are now turned. Even as the Tarai has the virus largely under control, the majority of the 223 patients in ICU and 37 on ventilator support nationwide are in Kathmandu Valley. The country’s only infectious diseases hospital in Teku, despite adding isolation wards, ventilators and ICU beds, has <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/nepals-virus-vortex/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">run out of space for Covid-19 patients</a>. “Even with the increased capacity, we cannot admit all the patients,” hospital director Sagar Rajbhandari told Nepali Times. Three months after the government announced it would build a 300-bed hospital just for coronavirus patients, there has been no action. It has not followed the advice of its own public health experts to expand testing and tracing. In fact, the Nepal government seems to have admitted defeat. Its unspoken strategy now is now letting the virus take its course, warning citizens to adopt their own precautions and learn to live with the disease <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/a-covid-19-exit-strategy-for-nepal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">until a vaccine is available</a>. This explains why even as the number of new cases and fatalities in Kathmandu Valley <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-beats-own-record-in-covid-19-cases-and-deaths/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">break its own record every day</a>, the lockdown is being further eased with public transport, flights, shops and restaurants allowed to open. Adding to this is the utter lack of coordination between locally elected municipality officials and the District Administration Offices which issue new and contradictory guidelines every day, and blame each other for the situation getting worse. Locally elected representatives <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/editorial/nepals-leaders-are-in-isolation/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">should have been allowed to handle the outbreak</a> like in the Tarai, with the central government only ensuring that they have adequate resources, equipment and medical personnel. “Kathmandu’s response to the pandemic shows that the central government doesn’t trust local units who are close to the people and can respond fastest to their needs,” says Chandra Kishore, a Tarai-based journalist in Birganj. “The focus should be on empowering local governments and health posts to contain the spread of the virus.”Even as Kathmandu struggles to contain the virus with all the resources and facilities at its disposal, Nepal’s capital could learn a few things from the way Tarai cities and municipalities handled the spike and brought the virus under control.One example is Narainapur in Banke district, which first made it to the news as a hotspot back in May <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/with-3rd-covid-19-fatality-nepal-issues-funeral-guideline/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">with over 100 cases and Nepal’s second Covid-19 fatality</a>.Most of the infected were migrant worker returnees from India. Since then, the municipality has brought active cases down to zero. <figure><img width="640" height="398" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109151112/636bb5d29c7e80680e07bc26jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>“In our experience what worked the best was the collaboration between the local government, CDO office and the Nepal Army,” says Naresh Shrestha, the Covid-19 focal point for Banke district. “This has helped us conduct proactive contact tracing and raise awareness about safety measures. Narainapur is also relatively isolated which helped us seal the access points and better manage the outbreak.” <figure><img width="640" height="435" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109151112/636bb5d49c7e80680e07bc27jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>After Kathmandu Valley, Banke has conducted the most PCR tests and of the total 1,662 coronavirus cases in the district, 1,264 people have already recovered. The remaining cases are in densely populated areas of Nepalganj and Kohalpur.Nepalganj mayor Dhawal Shumshere Rana says his city was among the first to be hit with the coronavirus, and had to learn quickly through trial and error.“We didn’t know what was coming. Me and my staff took PCR tests ourselves to set an example for others,” Rana said on the phone. “We now have the virus more or less under control. We still have some cases, but life is back to normal and our people are following safety measures.”In the neighbouring district of Bardia which has a 83km border with India, there has been a gradual rise in cases. In Badhaiyatal municipality, the authorities shut the quarantine centre that had become an incubator for the virus.“After we realised what was happening, we focused on containing the virus in the quarantine centre and invested in contact tracing, which helped us bring the situation under control,” explained Gokarna Giri of the Bardia District Health Office. “But containing the virus in crowded cities and marketplaces has been challenging. We can’t reach everywhere, people have to be mindful about obeying safety measures.”Udaypur in the Inner Tarai of eastern Nepal <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/nepals-muslims-face-stigma-after-covid-19-tests/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">was a coronavirus hot spot in April</a> when 13 men in a mosque who had returned from Delhi all tested positive. There was stringent contact tracing of people who they had been in close proximity to, and the district was sealed off for months.In fact, Udaypur’s experience is now called the ‘Bhulke Model’ after a ward of Triyuga Municipality that used PCR tests for contact tracing after false negatives  from RDTs. Infected people were immediately sent to hospital isolation wards, and health officials did repeat contact tracing of the entire community until cases came down to zero.  <a style="background-color: #ffffff; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.01em;" href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/Muslim-woman-activist-Udaypur%20,3997" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Gaighat-based activist Najbul Khan</a> used to travel every day on her motorbike during the lockdown with supplies and essential medicines for communities ostracised due to infection. Her Muldhar Mahila Kendra offered counseling for youth who were mentally stressed, prepared iftaar for the Muslim community for 18 days during Ramadan.“All of us, the community, volunteers, and the local authorities worked together to overcome the coronavirus. It is because of this that Udaypur is a model for successfully bringing Covid-19 under control,” Khan says.In the beginning, Udaypur did not even have sufficient personnel to collect swab samples, and the district hospital’s Parmendra Yadav was working overtime to conduct tests <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/protecting-those-who-protect-us-from-the-epidemic/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">without proper personal protective gear</a>. His hard work was met with stigma: fearful colleagues stopped talking, and the eatery he frequented stopped serving him.  But Yadav persisted, he trained lab personnel to bring the district’s limited health services up to speed and received PPE from non-profits in the area.“It was a difficult two months, but it paid off knowing how far we have come in terms of controlling Covid-19,” says Yadav. “Kathmandu could learn from our strategy of widespread testing, contact tracing, and strict border controls.”With additional reporting from Ramu Sapkota.

Sonia Awale

Covid-19 lessons for Kathmandu from the Tarai

<figure><img width="1600" height="1200" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221129151140/638619ea9c7e80680e0ccccfjpeg.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption>Young children suffering from undernutrition have poorer school achievement, diminished cognitive and language ability, and more behavioural problems. Adults who were malnourished in childhood have less economic productivity and increased incidence of health problems.</figcaption></figure>Malnutrition has long been identified as a major barrier to development in Nepal, and other low-income countries. The solution seems obvious: ensure that children eat enough of a balanced diet so they get the needed proteins, vitamins and minerals.Two recent projects set out to do just that. The first provided animal source foods (meat, fish, eggs and dairy), vegetables and a diverse diet to children in low-income farming households in Nepal’s Banke district. The second helped women in Bajura to grow vegetables in kitchen gardens. Both succeeded, but would have done even better if the beneficiary families did not face so many other obstacles.In Bajura, researchers found that ‘structural barriers’ prevented some women participants, all of who were pregnant or had children two years old or younger, from committing fully to the garden.‘Participants demonstrated high levels of knowledge about the program’s nutrition messages and expressed interest in and motivation to engage in the program,’ wrote the study’s authors. ‘However, access to water, land, and time determined the extent to which their full participation in the program was feasible.’<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/nearly-half-of-nepali-children-still-malnourished/">Nearly half of Nepali children still malnourished</a>, Sonia Awale <img width="1600" height="1200" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221129151140/638619ef9c7e80680e0cccd0jpeg.jpg" alt="">That finding was not surprising, says Pooja Pandey Rana, deputy chief of party for the Suaahara nutrition program, the operational arm of Nepal’s multi-sector nutrition plan. Based at Helen Keller International, which carried out the garden project, Rana was a co-author of the study, ‘Navigating structural barriers to the implementation of agriculture-nutrition programs in Nepal’ published in the journal <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12571-020-01031-0" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12571-020-01031-0&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1589177540738000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFVbcRmzXA6g1wjMOG3fB0pgUvJzQ">Food Security</a> in April 2020.<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/covid-19-affecting-food-security-in-nepal-wfp/">COVID-19 affecting food security in Nepal: WFP</a>, Nepali Times“We have made massive progress on stunting, on the nutrition indicators. But on the underlying barriers, access to food, to all these resources, I think we can do a lot more and not one project can do everything,” said Rana in a telephone interview. “It also raises the question of what the broader interventions we can do in a nutrition program, and are donors ready to support them. They have their own targets, their own agenda and theory of change.”The study notes that difficulties accessing water were raised in nearly every conversation researchers had with participants and staff and in focus group discussions with female community health volunteers. In some cases, the barrier was the time required to fetch water, in others it was a ban on Dalit villagers using taps or scarcity of water overall.The research suggested solutions to overcome such barriers, at least in the short term. For water, that included ‘micro-irrigation’ equipment (sprinklers and hoses). ‘Enabling households to access such equipment, possibly by subsidising it or through community sharing schemes, could ease access to water and substantially reduce the work burden associated with kitchen garden cultivation for many participants,’ the report said.<a href="http://nepalitimes.com/article/nation/child-undernourishment-a-major-risk-after-the-earthquake,2379" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">You eat what you sow</a>, Sahina ShresthaRana says that phase two of the project has incorporated some such ideas. These include training women farmers on wastewater management and forming village farmer networks so women growers can better negotiate with traders.Overall, she is optimistic, partly because of interest from local governments: “Most of the municipal leaders we’ve interacted with want to do really good, impactful work. But they need support on strategic things, for example who to contact for poultry vaccination. They need these sorts of networks and connections and capacity-building.” <img width="1600" height="1200" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221129151140/638619f29c7e80680e0cccd1jpeg.jpg" alt="">In Banke, researchers found that over four years the contribution of diet to developmental status were striking. ‘Even small changes in dietary intake were associated with impressive improvements in child developmental performance,’ wrote the authors in the journal <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/mcn.12964" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/mcn.12964&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1589177540739000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHBxK1QHeXh453q39WMO2zTUc8MEg">Maternal &amp; Child Nutrition</a> in January.   But that impact was tempered by household wealth, mother’s education and ‘home environmental quality’ including such things as availability of toys, dolls, and books, interactive activities such as mothers and children reading together, telling stories, and playing, and how often the child was left alone or under the supervision of another child.‘Limited resource environments present many potential hazards to growing children, including poor nutrition, lack of medical care, increased exposure to infections, physical and emotional neglect,stress, and lack of stimulation for cognitive development ... lower educational levels of the parents (particularly the mother) are one of many additional risk factors in impoverished households.’<a href="http://nepalitimes.com/article/nation/the-face-of-hunger-debt-malnutrition,3604" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The face of hunger</a>, Om Astha Rai‘We found that child developmental scores were significantly associated with household wealth, maternal education, and the home environmental quality’, the authors concluded.Those findings echo the analysis in <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/newborn-deaths-and-a-vision-for-a-post-pandemic-nepal/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/newborn-deaths-and-a-vision-for-a-post-pandemic-nepal/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1589177540739000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFcHt-4ZzGFqJg6SysOZykYQjFvvg">another recent study</a>, which concluded that Nepal’s poorest families are 50 years behind its richest households in terms of newborn health. Key risk factors for neonatal mortality were a mother’s lack of a tetanus vaccination, her education status, giving birth before the age of 20, household air pollution, poverty, and having no toilet at home.Rana says she sees hope in the next generation of women, who are different than their mothers: “Almost 70% of them have access to cell phones in Bajura. How do we use that technology to empower them? They want to do more, study more … The progress we’ve made is tremendous in terms of nutrition indicators but adolescence and youth is a missed opportunity — we need to do more.”Read also:<a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/malnutrition-stunting-wasting,3603">Thought for food</a>, Marty Logan<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/junk-food-is-making-nepali-children-shorter/">Junk food is making Nepali children shorter</a>, Marty Logan

Food for thought for Nepal’s nutrition planners

The Nepal government announced the total number of wild tigers in the country had reached 235, nearly double of what it was in 2009. This means Nepal will be the first country to attain the <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=16820#.W6d_Atcza71" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TX2 target of doubling its wild tiger population</a> adopted at the St Petersburg Tiger Summit in 2010.<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/how-many-tigers-in-nepal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nepal conducted a tiger census</a> between November 2017 and April 2018 with camera traps. The last tiger survey in 2013 had estimated the <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/habitat-destrcution-of-tiger-in-Tarai,3423" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tiger population at 198</a>.“Our commitment to the Global Tiger Recovery Programme gains new ground with Nepal’s growing tiger numbers and a successful implementation of Nepal’s Tiger Conservation Action Plan,” said Bishwa Nath Oli, Secretary of the Ministry of Forests and Environment. “Protecting tigers is a top priority of the government, and we are thankful for the able support of our partners, enforcement agencies, local communities and the international community for a common purpose.”“Every tiger counts, for Nepal and for the world,” said Ghana S Gurung, Country Representative, world Wildlife Fund (<a href="http://www.wwfnepal.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WWF-Nepal</a>). “While Nepal is but a few tigers away from our goal to double tiger numbers by 2022, it also underscores the continued need to ensure protection, and improved and contiguous habitats for the long-term survival of the species.”		
							<figure><img width="1500" height="1125" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221107161120/636922b79c7e80680e03a143jpeg.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption>Photo: WWF NEPAL</figcaption></figure><a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/sun-striped-shadows/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nepal’s tiger conservation</a> program is being helped in Bardia National Park by the <a href="https://www.leonardodicaprio.org/protecting-wild-tigers-in-nepal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation</a>. DiCaprio is also chairman of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) US.   Said DiCaprio: “Nepal has been a leader in efforts to double tigers within its own borders and serves as a model for conservation for all of Asia and the world.  This significant increase in Nepal’s tiger population is proof that when we work together, we can save the planet’s wildlife – even species facing extinction.”Nepal was the first country to achieve global standards in managing tiger conservation areas, an accreditation scheme governed by the Conservation Assured Tiger Standards (CA|TS). With four more years to go, the TX2 goal of doubling tiger numbers globally can only be achieved if all the tiger range countries step up and commit to a similar level of excellence.In May this year, Nepal celebrated a new benchmark with the achievement of 365 days of zero poaching of rhinos on five occasions between 2011 and 2018.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCh4zTTM_uM

banke

Nepal counting its tigers

This is war

This is war

On the road in West Nepal

Covid-19 lessons for Kathmandu from the Tarai

Food for thought for Nepal’s nutrition planners

Nepal tigers now number 235