Every year, up to 15 people are killed by tigers in and around Nepal’s Chitwan National Park, famous for its <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/is-wildlife-conservation-a-victim-of-its-own-success-in-nepal">conservation success story</a>.&nbsp; But this was not always the case — elders say there used to be many more tigers but fewer deaths. What changed? Long before <a href="https://chitwannationalpark.gov.np/index.php">Chitwan National Park</a> was established in 1972, the indigenous Tharu people and tigers coexisted, fostering a centuries-old relationship based on an understanding of each other’s behaviour. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/the-tarai-s-shrinking-forests">the Tarai </a>plains, especially Chitwan, gained fame for <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/the-tarai-s-shrinking-forests">tiger hunting</a> and proved useful as Nepal’s rulers employed hunting diplomacy by inviting British royals to extravagant hunting parties. Hunting expeditions would descend from Kathmandu in winter months to avoid malarial summers. The Tharu supplied rice, vegetables, goats, and constructed access roads.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250729160752_c9998ffdaa27ff3c251556bd472945bf6e648fdb4016d3b152cbef86f321c7f7.jpg" data-media-id="editor_4" data-image-id="20250729160752_c9998ffdaa27ff3c251556bd472945bf6e648fdb4016d3b152cbef86f321c7f7" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1146" loading="lazy" alt="Tharu people"> <figcaption>A US-supported DDT spraying campaign against malaria in Chitwan in the 1950s that opened the valley to trans-migration of farmers from the hills. The Tharu people were partially immune to malaria. Photo: USOM RECORDS, US NATIONAL ARCHIVES, COLLEGE PARK, MARYLAND</figcaption> </figure>  Rana rulers also relied upon Tharu mahout expertise in handling elephants, navigating the jungle, and tracking wildlife for hunting. The Ranas and their guests killed an astonishing number of tigers. During a hunting expedition in 1850, Rana Prime Minister Jung Bahadur Rana personally shot dead 31 tigers. In 1876, during two weeks, British King Albert Edward VII shot 23 tigers.&nbsp; In 1911 King George V killed four bears, eight one-horned rhinoceroses, and 39 tigers. Rana Prime Minister Juddha Shumsher is said to have killed 433 tigers from all across the Tarai between 1930 to 1940. At the time, 90% of <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/chitwan-s-bote-people-in-a-changing-world">Chitwan’s population </a>were indigenous Tharu, Bote, Musahar, with the Kumal making up the rest. While people were worried about their crops and food sources, they were also mindful of tigers, rhinos, and other forms of <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/human-animal-interface-in-nepal-wildlife-corridor?%2F">wildlife</a>.&nbsp; The Tharu trapped tiger prey such as wild boar and deer for their survival, also understood that predators like tigers sometimes hunted their buffalos, goats, and cows — especially when they grazed in or near the jungle. To Tharu, this seemed only fair. “In 1973, just before the establishment of the<a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/on-the-tri-junction-of-wildlife-conservation-conflict-and-co-existence"> Chitwan National Park</a>, my family owned between 200 and 300 cows, oxen, and buffaloes,” says Keval Chaudhary, 95. “Tigers killed four to five of my cattle each year, but we never hated tigers and never felt like killing them. It was coexistence — we shared the same land.”&nbsp; Shukhlal Chaudhary of Bachauli once told us there used to be significantly more tigers before malaria eradication in the 1950s, but that did not mean there was more conflict with humans. “We used to go into the forest every day, and were familiar with the routines of the animals that lived there,” he used to say. “The tigers rarely ventured into our village or killed anyone who lived there.”  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250729160756_e39f7bdb451f752b753b1d8fc4e590196afd5cd21e2456443557c2eafb6c5c82.jpg" data-media-id="editor_8" data-image-id="20250729160756_e39f7bdb451f752b753b1d8fc4e590196afd5cd21e2456443557c2eafb6c5c82" data-rendition-name="original" width="1915" height="1443" loading="lazy" alt="Tigers in Nepal"> </figure>  In the days before the National Park, the tiger population in Chitwan was probably bigger. The Ranas had laws against hurting rhinos and tigers, but more importantly, <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/comment/unsung-heroes-of-nepal-s-tiger-recovery">the Tharu also cared for the animals </a>and the jungle. This respect for nature runs deep in our tradition. The Tharu worship through the Gurau spiritual healer and honour the forest deity known as Bandevi. Says Aasha Ram Mahato, an 85-year-old resident of Madi: “हमरा पुजा करइ खुनिय जम्मा देवी देउता जससनेकी सोमेसोरबाणि, कल्की माइ, बिक्रम बाबा सब थारु देवी देउता क नाउ लेके हमरा सन्सारी बर्ना कर्साहु इय जेठवा नत एसार्ह महिनावमा हमरा इअ बाली बिर्ही बचावके, बनवका चिजुवा बिजुवा बचावके कहके हमरा बरसमा ३ चोटी पुजा कर्साहु एसार्ही बर्ना, लेरुवा पैठ हसे चैत पैठ बर्ना।” <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/5-myths-about-the-tharu">The Tharu </a>take the names of all the gods they worship — such as Somesor Baani, Kalki Maai, and Bikram Baba, and perform Sansaari Puja, a traditional ritual to protect crops, wild and domestic animals, insects, and everything in nature. This ritual reflects the community’s deep respect and spiritual bond with the natural world and is performed three times a year. Bikram Mahato, 65, recalls an incident six years ago when 10 people entered Chitwan National Park to cut fodder grass. A tiger was 50m away, silently watching them and preparing to attack. The group quickly decided not to run or scatter. Instead, they stayed close together.&nbsp; This smart and immediate decision prevented a <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/close-encounters-with-tigers-in-nepal">tiger attack</a>. It also depicts the Tharu indigenous community’s understanding of nature and wildlife, as well as their choice of coexistence and protection. The Nepal government and foreign aid organisations have mostly forgotten the history of Tharu–tiger coexistence and the community’s silent but c<a href="https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/conservation-at-the-crossroads">rucial role in tiger conservation</a>. Nevertheless, let us hope that the state will eventually acknowledge and pay tribute to the contributions of the Indigenous Tharu in protecting the forests and wildlife, especially the tigers, that currently make up Chitwan National Park. Birendra Mahato is an elected member of the Ratnanagar Municipality Ward 6 and Founder Chair of the Tharu Culture Museum Research Centre in Sauraha.

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Nepal’s Tharu are tiger protectors

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110141152/636d02d29c7e80680e0a369ejpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="1015"/><figcaption>Comunity discussion in Ghunsa. Photo: WWF NEPAL</figcaption></figure>Tucked in the sacred Himalayan landscape of the northeastern corner of Nepal, the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.cohttps/www.nepalitimes.com/banner/tracing-past-glacial-floods-in-kangchenjunga/m/banner/tracing-past-glacial-floods-in-kangchenjunga/">Kangchenjunga Conservation Area (KCA)</a>is home to the world’s third highest mountain ecosystem. It is also Nepal’s first conservation area managed by the local community.It was declared as ‘A Gift to the Earth’ by the Nepal government in support of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Living Planet Campaign in April 1997, and has a long-standing history of perseverance, resilience, and of striking a balance between conservation gains for people and nature.The KCA’s 2,035 sq km area hosts a vast assortment of biological diversity, it is part of the Eastern Himalayan Global 200 cross-border eco-region, and millions of people downstream depend on it and its water towers.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110141152/636d02d59c7e80680e0a369fjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="519" height="367"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>Recognising the significance of the region, there have been integrated efforts to protect its biodiversity and improve livelihoods of local communities. WWF Nepal’s engagement in the KCA dates back to 1995, when it first conducted a feasibility study followed by the inception of the Kangchenjunga Conservation Area Project (KCAP) in 1998.It was rolled out in partnership with local communities under the leadership of the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation. After almost a decade, the government of Nepal undertook the historic step of <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/remembering-nepals-conservation-heroes/">handing over management responsibilities of KCA to local communities</a>on 22 September 2006 -- making it the ﬁrst protected area to be managed by the local community in Nepal.Community driven conservation hinged on the notion of increased community participation in decision-making and natural resource management, which has allowed the KCA to address key challenges such as forest degradation, human snow leopard conflict, and gender inequality.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110141152/636d02d79c7e80680e0a36a0jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="747" height="440"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>These initiatives have been critical in promoting women’s empowerment by enhancing their role in nature conservation and decision-making, particularly in natural resource management. Since its inception, KCAP has supported 35 Mothers’ Groups and helped them secure a critical role in decision-making and management.Starting off as a small network, the Mothers’ Groups have expanded to include a wide spectrum of activities including support for non-formal education to the older generation, and education for girls. There are cleanliness and health-hygiene programs, childcare, and initiatives to promote financial independence of women through saving and credit schemes.The Mothers’ Groups are a model for translating the rights of the women over natural resource management into action, and provide scholarships to girls from low income families through an endowment fund of Rs5 million in each group. It supports income generation activities and provides scholarships for students, particularly girls from vulnerable households. So far, 206 girls have benefited from scholarships.Community-based snow leopard conservation and prey monitoring has also begun in which citizen scientists have been trained to keep track of the endangered cats and their prey. This group uses a wide gamut of technologies from conventional sign surveys to camera traps, fecal DNA surveys and GPS collaring.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110141152/636d02d99c7e80680e0a36a1jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1779" height="1000"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure><figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110141152/636d02dc9c7e80680e0a36a2jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1779" height="1000"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>Already, the KCA’s presence is seen in increased forest cover, from 51,500ha in 1999 to 54,800ha in 2015. As a result, from zero <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepal-leads-in-snow-leopard-study/">snow leopards</a>in 1995, there were 293 of the animals moving between India, China and Nepal.  The return of the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/crying-wolf/">Himalayan wolf</a>is also encouraging, as is the increase in population of blue sheep from 1,167 in 2007 to 1,638 by 2015.While encouraging, there are still challenges like human wildlife conflict, especially with the return of the wolves. Even so there have been few retaliatory killings of wolves, with not a single case since the establishment in 2004 of Ghunsa Community Snow Leopard Insurance Scheme, supported by University of Zurich. There are four livestock insurance schemes with a revolving fund of Rs8.4 million, along with a Rs4.7 million crop damage relief fund.KCA has earned national and international recognition for its conservation success and takes forward the legacy of the Conservation Heroes who tragically lost their lives in a helicopter accident in Ghunsa on 23 September 2006, just a day after handing over the Kangchenjunga Conservation Area to the local community.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110141152/636d02df9c7e80680e0a36a3jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1779" height="1000"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>KCA has come a long way in the 15 years since. There are challenges ahead: representation and leadership of women in the Management Council of the KCA needs to increase. The role of local governments in the Council also has to be redefined.There is also the possibility of developing the Kangchenjunga region as a Tri-National Peace Park as a model of transboundary and regional cooperation for biodiversity conservation.The community-based Livestock Insurance Schemes have proved to be a successful human wildlife conflict mitigation measure, but this activity needs to be scaled up and integrated with the government compensation mechanism.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110141152/636d02e29c7e80680e0a36a4jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="998"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>Then there is the potential post-Covid boom to promote nature-based eco-tourism and green enterprises as alternative livelihood options for the communities.Environment and wildlife friendly infrastructure have to be designed to maintain ecological connectivity in the region, particularly with the new roads and hydropower projects in the region. <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/11-day-trek-is-now-a-days-drive-in-nepal/">Ghana S Gurung</a> is the Country Representative of WWF in Nepal and Snow Leopard Champion for the Global WWF Network. <img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110141152/636d02e59c7e80680e0a36a5jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="146">

Participating to save Kangchenjunga

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109181152/636be8ed9c7e80680e087891jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="3001" height="2261"/><figcaption>Murti Devi Chaudhary, chair of a community forestry group in Saptari says, “Wildlife are like the forest’s jewels” Photos: Teri D. Allendorf</figcaption></figure>The <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepals-highest-ever-tiger-sighting/#:~:text=A%20tiger%20has%20been%20caught,the%20mountain%20forests%20of%20Ilam&amp;text=A%20tiger%20has%20been%20caught%20on%20camera%20trap%20at%20an,the%20mountains%20of%20eastern%20Nepal." data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepals-highest-ever-tiger-sighting/%23:~:text%3DA%2520tiger%2520has%2520been%2520caught,the%2520mountain%2520forests%2520of%2520Ilam%26text%3DA%2520tiger%2520has%2520been%2520caught%2520on%2520camera%2520trap%2520at%2520an,the%2520mountains%2520of%2520eastern%2520Nepal.&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1608620326024000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHxJD4WwjnKkFNan4bMU66TNK3O7A">camera trap photos</a> of a large tiger on a nighttime walk in Nepal's eastern mountains were thrilling. It was only a matter of time before we would find them exploring eastern Nepal, since forests there have been <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/tree-mendous/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/tree-mendous/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1608620326024000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHMJRFjC5Q56n2iPaKGs78XYw1gnw">improving</a>. And tigers are dispersers.The endangered cats have been documented in <a href="https://kathmandupost.com/climate-environment/2020/12/12/tigers-sighted-high-in-the-hills-wildlife-experts-wonder-why-they-are-moving-north" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://kathmandupost.com/climate-environment/2020/12/12/tigers-sighted-high-in-the-hills-wildlife-experts-wonder-why-they-are-moving-north&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1608620326024000&amp;usg=AFQjCNELmzB_Bn2tB6NIqKXfxzaWQHMN-Q">many parts</a> of the western and eastern Himalaya. The number of tigers in Nepal grew from 121 in 2009 to <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-tigers-now-number-235/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-tigers-now-number-235/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1608620326024000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHyYHYBf-ZFiJitzKi1W2LvgVm4uw">235 in 2018</a>, according to <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/how-many-tigers-in-nepal/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/how-many-tigers-in-nepal/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1608620326024000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGvmnw6NGnSGoArEXNFNxlQj52fuA">a tiger census</a>, and Nepal was the first tiger range country to meet the international target of doubling  its population of wild tigers.It is possible tigers have been present in eastern Nepal for a while, and that only now the wider use of camera trapping is allowing us to prove their presence. People often say they see tigers, but without photographic evidence, it is often assumed they have seen चितुवा (<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/rise-in-tiger-numbers-make-leopards-raid-livestock/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/rise-in-tiger-numbers-make-leopards-raid-livestock/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1608620326024000&amp;usg=AFQjCNG0jfqiaoptCWoEA14f9r9eQfT3Qw">leopards</a>) and not बाघ (tigers).Other factors also probably contribute to tigers coming out in eastern Nepal. As villagers <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/9/3/84/pdf" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/9/3/84/pdf&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1608620326024000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGBjd-nWQuc9ImBjdXsjQrfTqJlAQ">abandon farmland</a> and migrate for economic opportunities, wildlife find more habitat and space. In Europe, there have been reports of bear and wolf numbers climbing as villages and farmland are abandoned in a process called ‘<a href="https://theconversation.com/rewilding-as-farmland-and-villages-are-abandoned-forests-wolves-and-bears-are-returning-to-europe-119316" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://theconversation.com/rewilding-as-farmland-and-villages-are-abandoned-forests-wolves-and-bears-are-returning-to-europe-119316&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1608620326024000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHNG9KB0Oehww2RYYpXUHXvMNid8w">rewilding</a>’.As wildlife populations increase, their sightings in unexpected places also go up. <a href="https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200929-how-wolves-and-bison-are-returning-to-europe" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200929-how-wolves-and-bison-are-returning-to-europe&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1608620326024000&amp;usg=AFQjCNH5U9SPFnmq8co-TvUpQlSJIDIS9A">Wolves are known to pass through European</a> cities and <a href="https://kathmandupost.com/climate-environment/2019/06/21/this-is-why-leopards-are-entering-our-cities-20190621195755" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://kathmandupost.com/climate-environment/2019/06/21/this-is-why-leopards-are-entering-our-cities-20190621195755&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1608620326024000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFVFgZqRZdu9hqXWpRcrhIhz2fEgw">leopards</a>move from one forest patch to another in  Kathmandu Valley.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109181152/636be8f09c7e80680e087892jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="562" height="154"><figcaption>Tiger sightings</figcaption></figure>Blue dots are places tiger have been camera trapped in Nepal and Sikkim <a href="https://kathmandupost.com/national/2020/12/12/tigers-sighted-high-in-the-hills-wildlife-experts-wonder-why-they-are-moving-north" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://kathmandupost.com/national/2020/12/12/tigers-sighted-high-in-the-hills-wildlife-experts-wonder-why-they-are-moving-north&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1608621325773000&amp;usg=AFQjCNECVxmegeQK-fwbZ8dmRlc8p-DrCQ">recently</a>. Black dots are from <a href="http://globaltigerforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Final-HAT-VERSION-28-AUGUST-20191.pdf" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://globaltigerforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Final-HAT-VERSION-28-AUGUST-20191.pdf&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1608621325773000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGoA1lM1jl5Scz5yzxDmaBysj0sJw">Status of Tiger Habitats in High Altitude Ecosystems of Bhutan, India and Nepal (Situation Analysis) 2019</a>.The red dot shows confirmed tiger presence in the 1990s in Udayapur.Human-wildlife <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/close-encounters-with-tigers-in-nepal/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/close-encounters-with-tigers-in-nepal/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1608620326024000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGlSNepxKqlnBukXV17yMvoLsiRww">conflict</a> is bound to increase as forests and wildlife thrive. But there is no better way to address these problems than with the full <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/unsung-heroes-of-nepals-tiger-recovery/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/unsung-heroes-of-nepals-tiger-recovery/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1608620326024000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEmY66nWU_gtggS3FQBx5p7P8zlrw">participation of communities</a> to help create and implement mitigation measures that make sense to them.Spotting tigers in <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepals-highest-ever-tiger-sighting/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepals-highest-ever-tiger-sighting/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1608620326024000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHwzNmLQ2JbVFZz3T7hxXhxrW3HyA">Ilam</a> is a reminder that excellent opportunities exist in East Nepal for conserving tiger and other wildlife populations like the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/how-humans-can-live-with-wild-elephants/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/how-humans-can-live-with-wild-elephants/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1608620326024000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEAD_g4V3hCH7RIkDf_u5pd7kajiw">wild elephant</a>, <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/Dancing-to-freedom,4096" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/Dancing-to-freedom,4096&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1608620326024000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGo2idBextTTyjIKkOy1LKmwySDsQ">sloth bear</a>, and <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/protecting-pangolins-from-being-eaten-to-extinction/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/protecting-pangolins-from-being-eaten-to-extinction/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1608620326024000&amp;usg=AFQjCNECcACdohCnmnPiu3ddl2eDcDf1Wg">pangolin</a>. Recovering forests in the Chure and Mahabharat Ranges could become good habitat for these endangered species.There is no better way to protect wildlife in eastern Nepal than by giving <a href="https://www.intechopen.com/books/precious-forests-precious-earth/creating-modern-community-conservation-organizations-and-institutions-to-effect-successful-forest-co" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.intechopen.com/books/precious-forests-precious-earth/creating-modern-community-conservation-organizations-and-institutions-to-effect-successful-forest-co&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1608620326024000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGoBMufpknqZ6Tb__Ch04aYquYj3g">local communities</a> the tools to manage their community forests for wildlife. Although community forestry has traditionally focused on managing trees and plants, there is no reason management cannot include wildlife.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109181152/636be8f19c7e80680e087893jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="1125"><figcaption>Community forestry user group members being trained in wildlife conservation.</figcaption></figure>Nepal’s communities have been champions in protecting and conserving their forests, leading the world by their example. With the right training, policies, and incentives, they can achieve similar success with wildlife, including tigers.With the support of Nepali partners, NGOs like <a href="http://communityconservation.org/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://communityconservation.org/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1608620326024000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFtuYhObmw_sl38IYzKijzCjr9iCg">Community Conservation Inc</a> has begun to bring together a network of communities and community forests in southeastern Nepal for the conservation of endangered tigers, bears, and elephants.Since 2014, the organisation has been partnering with the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/caught-on-camera-nepals-rare-fishing-cat/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/caught-on-camera-nepals-rare-fishing-cat/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1608620326024000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGASqxATh0pj7qR8ZeocJSoostooQ">Small Mammal Conservation and Research Foundation</a>, Resources Himalaya, and Community Conservation Nepal, to build a network of community forests in the Chure from the Bagmati River to the eastern border.Communities in Nepal are already protecting endangered species like the <a href="https://www.redpandanetwork.org/projects/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.redpandanetwork.org/projects/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1608620326024000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGmi6lVmeCOaYgbAVeigCj6gqazEg">Red Panda Network</a> project, the group that found the tiger in Ilam, and Nawalparasi's <a href="https://thehimalayantimes.com/lifestyle/environment/ex-poachers-turn-conservationists-himalayan-ghoral/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://thehimalayantimes.com/lifestyle/environment/ex-poachers-turn-conservationists-himalayan-ghoral/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1608620326024000&amp;usg=AFQjCNG5Ch22XgwoK5ATg_smg6-V5Prd6g">Ghoral Conservation Area</a>. Both demonstrate how communities can safeguard endangered species.While we should not romanticise people’s desire to protect wildlife, we also should not underestimate it. As Murti Devi Chaudhary, Chairperson of the Jharkhanda Community Forestry User Group OF Saptari District, told us during a meeting last year, “Wildlife are like the forest’s jewels.”<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109181152/636be8f49c7e80680e087894jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="2272" height="1704"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>Community forestry in Nepal has shown that people can be the solution, not the problem, for protecting forests. The same is true for wildlife. Communities need to be recognised as the backbone of wildlife conservation. Investments in community capacity and policies to support them should be a priority.Nepal has the opportunity to become a world leader, not only in community forestry, but also in community wildlife management. And this would mean more fantastic photos and sightings of endangered wildlife in eastern Nepal.Community commitmentNepal can integrate wildlife conservation into community forestry by building:* Community capacity for wildlife conservation, including trainings in wildlife conservation for women, marginalised, and youth. Ideally, individuals could gain special training in areas that particularly interest them, like birds, mammals, plants, etc.* Capacity of forest guards and user groups to gather data on wildlife as part of regular activities, including camera trapping, with community forestry users’ groups buying their own cameras if they have enough income or through subsidies.* Networks of community forests linked across corridors, with community forestry user groups that communicate and share information about the wildlife in their forests.Teri D. Allendorf, PhD is a conservation biologist affiliated with the Dept of Forest and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Wisconsin, Madison and the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in the US, and is the Board President of Community Conservation, Inc.

Villagers step up to protect Nepal’s tigers

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109191120/636befdb4b0ad905ca02efdajpeg.jpg" alt="" width="3001" height="2261"/><figcaption>Murti Devi Chaudhary, chair of a community forestry group in Saptari says, “Wildlife are like the forest’s jewels” Photos: Teri D. Allendorf</figcaption></figure>The <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepals-highest-ever-tiger-sighting/#:~:text=A%20tiger%20has%20been%20caught,the%20mountain%20forests%20of%20Ilam&amp;text=A%20tiger%20has%20been%20caught%20on%20camera%20trap%20at%20an,the%20mountains%20of%20eastern%20Nepal." data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepals-highest-ever-tiger-sighting/%23:~:text%3DA%2520tiger%2520has%2520been%2520caught,the%2520mountain%2520forests%2520of%2520Ilam%26text%3DA%2520tiger%2520has%2520been%2520caught%2520on%2520camera%2520trap%2520at%2520an,the%2520mountains%2520of%2520eastern%2520Nepal.&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1608620326024000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHxJD4WwjnKkFNan4bMU66TNK3O7A">camera trap photos</a> of a large tiger on a nighttime walk in Nepal's eastern mountains were thrilling. It was only a matter of time before we would find them exploring eastern Nepal, since forests there have been <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/tree-mendous/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/tree-mendous/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1608620326024000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHMJRFjC5Q56n2iPaKGs78XYw1gnw">improving</a>. And tigers are dispersers.The endangered cats have been documented in <a href="https://kathmandupost.com/climate-environment/2020/12/12/tigers-sighted-high-in-the-hills-wildlife-experts-wonder-why-they-are-moving-north" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://kathmandupost.com/climate-environment/2020/12/12/tigers-sighted-high-in-the-hills-wildlife-experts-wonder-why-they-are-moving-north&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1608620326024000&amp;usg=AFQjCNELmzB_Bn2tB6NIqKXfxzaWQHMN-Q">many parts</a> of the western and eastern Himalaya. The number of tigers in Nepal grew from 121 in 2009 to <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-tigers-now-number-235/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-tigers-now-number-235/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1608620326024000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHyYHYBf-ZFiJitzKi1W2LvgVm4uw">235 in 2018</a>, according to <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/how-many-tigers-in-nepal/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/how-many-tigers-in-nepal/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1608620326024000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGvmnw6NGnSGoArEXNFNxlQj52fuA">a tiger census</a>, and Nepal was the first tiger range country to meet the international target of doubling  its population of wild tigers.It is possible tigers have been present in eastern Nepal for a while, and that only now the wider use of camera trapping is allowing us to prove their presence. People often say they see tigers, but without photographic evidence, it is often assumed they have seen चितुवा (<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/rise-in-tiger-numbers-make-leopards-raid-livestock/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/rise-in-tiger-numbers-make-leopards-raid-livestock/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1608620326024000&amp;usg=AFQjCNG0jfqiaoptCWoEA14f9r9eQfT3Qw">leopards</a>) and not बाघ (tigers).Other factors also probably contribute to tigers coming out in eastern Nepal. As villagers <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/9/3/84/pdf" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/9/3/84/pdf&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1608620326024000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGBjd-nWQuc9ImBjdXsjQrfTqJlAQ">abandon farmland</a> and migrate for economic opportunities, wildlife find more habitat and space. In Europe, there have been reports of bear and wolf numbers climbing as villages and farmland are abandoned in a process called ‘<a href="https://theconversation.com/rewilding-as-farmland-and-villages-are-abandoned-forests-wolves-and-bears-are-returning-to-europe-119316" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://theconversation.com/rewilding-as-farmland-and-villages-are-abandoned-forests-wolves-and-bears-are-returning-to-europe-119316&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1608620326024000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHNG9KB0Oehww2RYYpXUHXvMNid8w">rewilding</a>’.As wildlife populations increase, their sightings in unexpected places also go up. <a href="https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200929-how-wolves-and-bison-are-returning-to-europe" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200929-how-wolves-and-bison-are-returning-to-europe&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1608620326024000&amp;usg=AFQjCNH5U9SPFnmq8co-TvUpQlSJIDIS9A">Wolves are known to pass through European</a> cities and <a href="https://kathmandupost.com/climate-environment/2019/06/21/this-is-why-leopards-are-entering-our-cities-20190621195755" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://kathmandupost.com/climate-environment/2019/06/21/this-is-why-leopards-are-entering-our-cities-20190621195755&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1608620326024000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFVFgZqRZdu9hqXWpRcrhIhz2fEgw">leopards</a>move from one forest patch to another in  Kathmandu Valley.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109191120/636befde4b0ad905ca02efdbjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="562" height="154"><figcaption>Tiger sightings</figcaption></figure>Blue dots are places tiger have been camera trapped in Nepal and Sikkim <a href="https://kathmandupost.com/national/2020/12/12/tigers-sighted-high-in-the-hills-wildlife-experts-wonder-why-they-are-moving-north" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://kathmandupost.com/national/2020/12/12/tigers-sighted-high-in-the-hills-wildlife-experts-wonder-why-they-are-moving-north&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1608621325773000&amp;usg=AFQjCNECVxmegeQK-fwbZ8dmRlc8p-DrCQ">recently</a>. Black dots are from <a href="http://globaltigerforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Final-HAT-VERSION-28-AUGUST-20191.pdf" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://globaltigerforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Final-HAT-VERSION-28-AUGUST-20191.pdf&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1608621325773000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGoA1lM1jl5Scz5yzxDmaBysj0sJw">Status of Tiger Habitats in High Altitude Ecosystems of Bhutan, India and Nepal (Situation Analysis) 2019</a>.The red dot shows confirmed tiger presence in the 1990s in Udayapur.Human-wildlife <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/close-encounters-with-tigers-in-nepal/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/close-encounters-with-tigers-in-nepal/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1608620326024000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGlSNepxKqlnBukXV17yMvoLsiRww">conflict</a> is bound to increase as forests and wildlife thrive. But there is no better way to address these problems than with the full <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/unsung-heroes-of-nepals-tiger-recovery/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/unsung-heroes-of-nepals-tiger-recovery/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1608620326024000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEmY66nWU_gtggS3FQBx5p7P8zlrw">participation of communities</a> to help create and implement mitigation measures that make sense to them.Spotting tigers in <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepals-highest-ever-tiger-sighting/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepals-highest-ever-tiger-sighting/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1608620326024000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHwzNmLQ2JbVFZz3T7hxXhxrW3HyA">Ilam</a> is a reminder that excellent opportunities exist in East Nepal for conserving tiger and other wildlife populations like the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/how-humans-can-live-with-wild-elephants/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/how-humans-can-live-with-wild-elephants/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1608620326024000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEAD_g4V3hCH7RIkDf_u5pd7kajiw">wild elephant</a>, <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/Dancing-to-freedom,4096" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/Dancing-to-freedom,4096&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1608620326024000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGo2idBextTTyjIKkOy1LKmwySDsQ">sloth bear</a>, and <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/protecting-pangolins-from-being-eaten-to-extinction/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/protecting-pangolins-from-being-eaten-to-extinction/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1608620326024000&amp;usg=AFQjCNECcACdohCnmnPiu3ddl2eDcDf1Wg">pangolin</a>. Recovering forests in the Chure and Mahabharat Ranges could become good habitat for these endangered species.There is no better way to protect wildlife in eastern Nepal than by giving <a href="https://www.intechopen.com/books/precious-forests-precious-earth/creating-modern-community-conservation-organizations-and-institutions-to-effect-successful-forest-co" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.intechopen.com/books/precious-forests-precious-earth/creating-modern-community-conservation-organizations-and-institutions-to-effect-successful-forest-co&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1608620326024000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGoBMufpknqZ6Tb__Ch04aYquYj3g">local communities</a> the tools to manage their community forests for wildlife. Although community forestry has traditionally focused on managing trees and plants, there is no reason management cannot include wildlife.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109191120/636befdf4b0ad905ca02efdcjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="1125"><figcaption>Community forestry user group members being trained in wildlife conservation.</figcaption></figure>Nepal’s communities have been champions in protecting and conserving their forests, leading the world by their example. With the right training, policies, and incentives, they can achieve similar success with wildlife, including tigers.With the support of Nepali partners, NGOs like <a href="http://communityconservation.org/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://communityconservation.org/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1608620326024000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFtuYhObmw_sl38IYzKijzCjr9iCg">Community Conservation Inc</a> has begun to bring together a network of communities and community forests in southeastern Nepal for the conservation of endangered tigers, bears, and elephants.Since 2014, the organisation has been partnering with the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/caught-on-camera-nepals-rare-fishing-cat/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/caught-on-camera-nepals-rare-fishing-cat/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1608620326024000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGASqxATh0pj7qR8ZeocJSoostooQ">Small Mammal Conservation and Research Foundation</a>, Resources Himalaya, and Community Conservation Nepal, to build a network of community forests in the Chure from the Bagmati River to the eastern border.Communities in Nepal are already protecting endangered species like the <a href="https://www.redpandanetwork.org/projects/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.redpandanetwork.org/projects/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1608620326024000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGmi6lVmeCOaYgbAVeigCj6gqazEg">Red Panda Network</a> project, the group that found the tiger in Ilam, and Nawalparasi's <a href="https://thehimalayantimes.com/lifestyle/environment/ex-poachers-turn-conservationists-himalayan-ghoral/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://thehimalayantimes.com/lifestyle/environment/ex-poachers-turn-conservationists-himalayan-ghoral/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1608620326024000&amp;usg=AFQjCNG5Ch22XgwoK5ATg_smg6-V5Prd6g">Ghoral Conservation Area</a>. Both demonstrate how communities can safeguard endangered species.While we should not romanticise people’s desire to protect wildlife, we also should not underestimate it. As Murti Devi Chaudhary, Chairperson of the Jharkhanda Community Forestry User Group OF Saptari District, told us during a meeting last year, “Wildlife are like the forest’s jewels.”<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109191120/636befe84b0ad905ca02efddjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="2272" height="1704"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>Community forestry in Nepal has shown that people can be the solution, not the problem, for protecting forests. The same is true for wildlife. Communities need to be recognised as the backbone of wildlife conservation. Investments in community capacity and policies to support them should be a priority.Nepal has the opportunity to become a world leader, not only in community forestry, but also in community wildlife management. And this would mean more fantastic photos and sightings of endangered wildlife in eastern Nepal.Community commitmentNepal can integrate wildlife conservation into community forestry by building:* Community capacity for wildlife conservation, including trainings in wildlife conservation for women, marginalised, and youth. Ideally, individuals could gain special training in areas that particularly interest them, like birds, mammals, plants, etc.* Capacity of forest guards and user groups to gather data on wildlife as part of regular activities, including camera trapping, with community forestry users’ groups buying their own cameras if they have enough income or through subsidies.* Networks of community forests linked across corridors, with community forestry user groups that communicate and share information about the wildlife in their forests.Teri D. Allendorf, PhD is a conservation biologist affiliated with the Dept of Forest and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Wisconsin, Madison and the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in the US, and is the Board President of Community Conservation, Inc.

Robert Redford was an A-list megastar who had dominated Hollywood throughout the 1970s, generally considered the high water mark of American cinema.&nbsp; In those days Nepal was a fashionably remote destination, so it was not unusual for us to be looking after celebrity visitors. But Robert Redford was huge by any standards.&nbsp; “Call me Bob,” was the first thing he said to me, with that wonderful embracing smile that had lit up screens and quickened heartbeats around the world throughout the previous decade.&nbsp; We met over a cosy Mountain Travel dinner in Al Read’s brick and stucco house in Dhobighat. The floors were traditional terracotta tiles, the low beams darkly varnished and a cheerful fire warmed the October chill.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250921110940_32dd66ba4b578a843bbbf6a74bca7d47f9ac7083c3bf50f8213ac3e5322974fd.jpg" data-media-id="editor_0" data-image-id="20250921110940_32dd66ba4b578a843bbbf6a74bca7d47f9ac7083c3bf50f8213ac3e5322974fd" data-rendition-name="original" width="1396" height="920" loading="lazy" alt="Robert Redford in Nepal"> <figcaption>Robert Redford in 1982 at Meghauli airfield in Chitwan with young Kirsten Annapurna Read, the daughter of Al Read, managing director of Mountain Travel Nepal.</figcaption> </figure>  Our heroes often seem diminished in real life and Redford was shorter than expected, though taller than his friends and co-stars Paul Newman and Dustin Hoffman. But most striking was his pock-marked skin which must have challenged makeup artists over the years.&nbsp; I was disappointed he was not wearing his trademark cowboy boots, but Bob’s fame infused the room with his gentle politeness and low-key glamour. Next morning I picked him up from the Malla Hotel for some light sightseeing around the Valley. Under strict instruction from ‘his people’ that any fuss from fans was to be minimised, I was surprised to see him wearing a Sundance tee-shirt – just in case no one recognised him.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250921040916_1674398340a9501127e9f8b6b775f41b35703253f772ee05c6ab064819cd0abb.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="20250921040916_1674398340a9501127e9f8b6b775f41b35703253f772ee05c6ab064819cd0abb" data-rendition-name="original" width="840" height="1280" loading="lazy" alt="Robert Redford in Nepal"> <figcaption>Robert Redford exploring the Kathmandu Valley in 1982. Photo: GALEN ROWELL </figcaption> </figure>  Unmolested, we walked the ancient streets of Bhaktapur, and Bob was duly entranced by the visual impact of Malla Newar’s enduring culture. Robert Redford’s main purpose in Nepal was to trek in the Khumbu with his friend Galen Rowell, an adventure photographer, conservationist and mountaineer who met a premature death in 2002 in a small plane crash in Bishop, California.&nbsp; There may have been some talk of a film about Everest, but nothing came of it. After the trek, Bob and Galen explored the grasslands and forests of Chitwan, staying with us at Tiger Tops Jungle Lodge to view wildlife from the back of a well-trained elephant.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250921110948_7c2339d73cedfcc9e659169d1d1bc2239d3d9973f6c4b1a945bfeb74b9b74d19.jpg" data-media-id="editor_2" data-image-id="20250921110948_7c2339d73cedfcc9e659169d1d1bc2239d3d9973f6c4b1a945bfeb74b9b74d19" data-rendition-name="original" width="723" height="958" loading="lazy" alt="Robert Redford in Nepal"> <figcaption>Robert Redford in Chitwan, with Tiger Tops Manager KK Gurung on 9 December 1982. Photo: GALEN ROWELL</figcaption> </figure>  Confiding that he was not much of a traveller, Bob told us Nepal was one of his first trips outside the USA. Bob preferred his homes in Malibu on the Pacific coast and the wide open spaces of Utah, which he named Sundance after his favourite role.&nbsp; SOARING GRANDEUR With his strong affinity for the outdoors, Redford’s horizons must have been significantly expanded by the soaring grandeur of Nepal's sublime mountains, untamed rivers, and tiger and rhino infested lowlands. Galen’s knowledge and enthusiasm for all things Himalayan made him the perfect person to introduce this prominent novice tourist to Nepal’s wild places. Framed photographs of Bob taken by Galen’s skilled camera still grace tourist lodges on the Everest trail, and I confess to having one hanging in our downstairs loo.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250921070932_7bff2986293742e6e97c91c879f2549f2a99095f1f4a98c50e3b74c7f91f7b84.jpg" data-media-id="editor_3" data-image-id="20250921070932_7bff2986293742e6e97c91c879f2549f2a99095f1f4a98c50e3b74c7f91f7b84" data-rendition-name="original" width="1076" height="1624" loading="lazy" alt="Rovert Redford in Nepal"> <figcaption>Robert Redford in snowbound Namche Bazar in 1982.</figcaption> </figure>  His movie classics that defined our youth included the iconic Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Sting, All The President’s Men and The Way We Were. With many Oscar nominations, his personal best was Ordinary People, his directing debut which swept the award board in 1980, shortly before his Nepal trip. But Robert Redford was more than just an all American action man actor and successful film director. He chose roles that highlighted his political and social outlook. He was admired as an active environmental campaigner, using his fame to fight for clean air and pure water, serving as a trustee of the Natural Resources Defence Council.&nbsp; Redford once said: “The danger of success is that it forces you into a mould. I prefer independence.” Choosing the wilds of Utah over the jungles of Hollywood, in 1981 he started the Sundance Institute to cultivate controversial and independent movie talent.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250921040916_081aa6b2c1f9f82f3ea6a550c6887d9a991f2983a0a976456d627d711ae8a2e2.jpg" data-media-id="editor_4" data-image-id="20250921040916_081aa6b2c1f9f82f3ea6a550c6887d9a991f2983a0a976456d627d711ae8a2e2" data-rendition-name="original" width="2448" height="3264" loading="lazy" alt="Robert Redford in Nepal"> <figcaption>Robert Redford being shown around Bhaktapur by Lisa Choegyal on 21 Nov 1982. Photo: GALEN ROWELL</figcaption> </figure>  Festival screenings and workshops gave thousands of film people a chance of artistic freedom, nurturing a galaxy of filmmaker greats. At the end of his long life, Redford’s Sundance is widely recognised as having profoundly influenced American cinema.&nbsp; I like to think that Robert Redford’s rare overseas holiday amidst the stunning natural beauty of Nepal’s high mountains, Sherpa villages, living heritage and endangered animals might have opened his eyes and perhaps even sparked his lifelong concern for social and environmental issues.&nbsp;

The Sundance Kid in Nepal

This text has been updated. Ten days after being nominated caretaker, Prime Minister Sushila Karki has added four more members to her Council of Ministers: Magsaysay winner Mahabir Pun, tv anchor Jagadish Kharel, former Justice Anil Kumar Sinha and Samata Foundation chair Madan Pariyar. Karki was under pressure to complete her compact Cabinet quickly. But it appears that her attempt to find professionals with non-political background, integrity, a record of professionalism while making the selection inclusive has not been easy.&nbsp; Several candidates that Prime Minister Karki had approached is said to have refused to join the interim government. Some have political ambitions and were worried that they would not be able to campaign ahead of early elections called for 5 March 2026.&nbsp; Among those who opted out for various reasons include famed ophthalmologist Sanduk Ruit who said his main responsibility was running his Tilganga Institute of Ophthalmology. Also considered for the role of the Health Minister was cardiologist Bhagwan Koirala who is thought to have declined because of his association with Min Bahadur Gurung, owner of Bhat-Bhateni supermarket chain who had pledged Rs410 million to his Kathmandu Institute of Child Health. Twelve Bhat-Bhateni stores across the country were looted and set on fire during the GenZ protests on 9 September.&nbsp; The Prime Minister had finalised public health expert Sangita Kaushal Mishra for Health Minister, sending her name to the President's office along with the other Cabinet picks on Sunday evening. But the PM withdrew Mishra's name from the list on Monday after it emerged she was under a corruption investigation.&nbsp; Mahabir Pun of the National Innovation Center is the new Minister of Education, Science and Technology. Tv talk show host Jagadish Kharel who runs a popular current affairs program will lead the Ministry of Communication, while Anil Kumar Sinha seems set to be named Minister of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs. Sinha and Mishra are from the Madhes. The new ministers will be sworn in on Monday. The names of the new ministers were finalised in consultation with the representatives of the GenZ protesters. Appointments of new ministers last week, especially of advocate Om Prakash Aryal as Home Minister, was rejected by Sudan Gurung of Hami Nepal, one of the GenZ campaigners, who even demanded resignation of the newly appointed Prime Minister Sushila Karki because his group was not consulted. Last week, advocate Om Prakash Aryal was appointed Home Minister as well as Minister of Law, while former CEO of NEA Kulman Ghising as Energy Minister Urban Development Minister and Minister of Physical Infrastructure, and former finance Secretary Rameshwore Khanal as Finance Minister last week and were sworn in on 15 September. The new ministers have their work cut out as Prime Minister Sushila Karki has set elections for the House of Representatives for 5 March 2026. Electoral reform such that Nepalis outside the country could vote remains a challenge due to time limitation and because of the dissolution of Parliament. The interim government could ask for two more months beyond the initial six to prepare for voting.&nbsp; KNOW THE MINISTERS Names of possible ministers and their portfolios: Mahabir Pun, Minister of Education, Science and Technology  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250921150956_5e04418c4d79e283ac66932fbe9cffa8bfdccb8973c7ba867b3a241d0a5c19a4.jpg" data-media-id="editor_0" data-image-id="20250921150956_5e04418c4d79e283ac66932fbe9cffa8bfdccb8973c7ba867b3a241d0a5c19a4" data-rendition-name="original" width="2365" height="3143" loading="lazy" alt="Mahabir Pun"> </figure>  He is the founding chair of the National Innovation Center which was set up in 2012 and most recently restored 484 medical devices including ventilators, dialysis machines, X-rays and autoclaves worth Rs243 million in government hospitals.&nbsp; Pun, 70, is the recipient of the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award for community leadership in 2007 for his effort in connecting rural Nepal with wireless internet. Jagadish Kharel, Minister of Communications and Information Technology  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250921150956_25b90f5febc65782a3e74a288212175d075b4078802cdd1c0fe16767cf9dd95c.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="20250921150956_25b90f5febc65782a3e74a288212175d075b4078802cdd1c0fe16767cf9dd95c" data-rendition-name="original" width="1920" height="1080" loading="lazy" alt="Jagadish Kharel"> </figure>  He is a tv journalist with nearly 20 years of experience. He is currently the news head of Image Channel as well as the host of the show Hot Seat, and is known for in-depth political and government policy analysis and commentary. Kharel was previously thought to have been invited to join Rabi Lamichhane’s Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) after it emerged as the fourth biggest party in Parliament after the last elections. Anil Kumar Sinha, Minister of Industry, Commerce and Supply; Minister of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs; Minister of Land Reforms, Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250921150956_ba224a8c2d4c4434ed6e08e858d798b382a06c8606583841c935f927acb5d2f4.jpg" data-media-id="editor_2" data-image-id="20250921150956_ba224a8c2d4c4434ed6e08e858d798b382a06c8606583841c935f927acb5d2f4" data-rendition-name="original" width="1200" height="710" loading="lazy" alt="Anil Kumar Sinha"> </figure>  Anil Kumar Sinha was appointed as a Supreme Court Justice in 2016, and retired in 2023, after reaching the age limit of 65. Home Minister Om Prakash Aryal was formerly also given the responsibility of leading the Ministry of Law. Sinha specialises in tax and corporate law. Most recently, Sinha was a member of the Supreme Court bench that issued a verdict allowing an investigation into misappropriation of government land at Lalita Niwas in Baluwatar. Sinha played a significant role in the eventual impeachment of the then chief of the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) Lokman Singh Karki ion 2016 over legality of his appointment. He also resolved the dispute concerning the first dissolution of the House of Representatives by then-Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli on 20 December 2020. Madan Pariyar, Minister of Agriculture&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250921180928_83a9a885704826f04b439cf5096063a0596544a750f78b5ff02ee82df43ca0cf.jpg" data-media-id="editor_3" data-image-id="20250921180928_83a9a885704826f04b439cf5096063a0596544a750f78b5ff02ee82df43ca0cf" data-rendition-name="original" width="640" height="640" loading="lazy" alt="Madan Pariyar"> </figure>  Madan Pariyar is a scholar with notable research contribution in several fields including poverty alleviation, inclusion, good governance, agriculture, industry resource management. He obtained his doctorate and master'sin enginerring from the Asian Institute of Technology in Bangkok and Bachelors of Science in Agricultural Engineering from the Allahabad Agricultural Institute in India. Bcck in 2011, the government appointed Pariyar the chair of the State Restructuring Commission (SRC) which was tasked with advising the Constitutional Assembly on the best possible model of federalism to be adopted for Nepal. Pariyar is also the chair of Samata Foundation that advocates for the rights of the Dalit people and their capacity building.&nbsp; OTHER NAMES Ajaya Bhadra Khanal, research director of the thinktank Center for Social Innovation and Foreign Policy (CESIF Nepal) is likely to be appointed the chief adviser to the Prime Minister. GenZ campaigners have also suggested the name of veteran Nepal Airlines aptain Vijay Lama for the Minister of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation. Rights activist Mohna Ansari, heritage conservationist Ganapati Lal Shrestha and Mansi Bhattarai, daughter of former Maoist prime minister Babauram Bhattarai have also been floated for various ministries. PM Karki has said she will limit her cabinet to 11 members for 22 ministries. Karki is likely to handle two or more ministries herself. At present, Kulman Ghising is leading three ministries while Om Prakash Aryal has two.&nbsp;

Nepal PM expands her Cabinet

Last week’s GenZ protest in Nepal was one of the shortest violent movements to topple a government in modern times. Social media played a crucial and unprecedented role in it. It was the digital space that documented, fuelled, rallied and magnified the protests on 8-9 September, as well as the negotiations to form an interim government afterwards. Even a week after, netizens are posting memes, real and AI-generated videos and jokes. This has been a powerful display of the power of ridicule and free speech that also reflects the resilience of the Nepali people and their ability to bounce back. Last week, as the Nepal Army held negotiations with wannabe leaders, the joke going around was about people being worried to venture out into the streets because they might be caught and made interim prime minister of the country.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2025092004094_5cdfca4511a64facbf6a95c62a5abfb367a60e658d68ad502213516c7943f7dc.png" data-media-id="editor_0" data-image-id="2025092004094_5cdfca4511a64facbf6a95c62a5abfb367a60e658d68ad502213516c7943f7dc" data-rendition-name="original" width="617" height="487" loading="lazy" alt="Nepal's meme revolution NT"> </figure>  Another video showed protesters making pretend calls on landline phones outside the burning Parliament. A British tourist’s clip about why his country could not defeat Nepal in 1814 went viral.&nbsp; Public disillusionment with the corrupt political parties was at an all time high, and the ban on 26 social media platforms on 5 September was the last straw. This did not just infringe on freedom of expression, but was important for business and trade, and it cut off the Genz’s vital communication channels.&nbsp; Everybody perceived the ban which apparently was not popular within K P Oli’s CPN-UML as the prime minister’s authoritarian ways. The government failed to understand that social media was also distracting the public with entertainment, and it was an effective way to let off steam.&nbsp; When apps like Instagram, Messenger, YouTube, X, and Reddit were blocked, youth banded together calling for an anti-corruption rally via TikTok which was functioning. &nbsp;&nbsp; TikTok exploded with users sharing #NepoBaby clips of the children and relatives of politicians showing off their extravagant lifestyles funded by corruption. It was there for ordinary Nepalis to see: the vacations, fancy restaurants, designer bags, and opulent villas.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250920030952_f8d7a287c3c472c67ac45089e5588a4ba6e615e19119222a130710f7ef660a65.png" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="20250920030952_f8d7a287c3c472c67ac45089e5588a4ba6e615e19119222a130710f7ef660a65" data-rendition-name="original" width="1570" height="1446" loading="lazy" alt="Nepal's meme revolution NT"> </figure>  Put to Nepali music, these clips were edited to be juxtaposed with the lives of impoverished Nepalis leaving as migrant workers. Some tried to defend the children of politicians, but most were enraged. In response, one Instagram handle called genz.nepal was set up. Its bio says: ’Fu*k this system!! Let’s slay and stay woke!!’ and made its first post on 6 September. It was an AI generated poster featuring a raised fist calling for a national protest two days later under the banner ‘Youth Against Corruption.’ Despite the ban on social media, they were still semi-functional with workarounds such as VPNs. News of the time and venue of the protest spread rapidly through cybersphere. ‘Let it be clear, our fight is not against one party or another, it is against the system itself,’ said one of the posts. ‘We mean the government, the opposition, the bureaucracy, the judiciary, and every structure that has betrayed the people.’ Other posts called on all to keep the protests peaceful, with no party flags or symbols, no leader, and no damage to property.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2025092004094_f22baab05910305ea435045824b25b796d5630715e2e17c3f3c0991e8371843c.png" data-media-id="editor_2" data-image-id="2025092004094_f22baab05910305ea435045824b25b796d5630715e2e17c3f3c0991e8371843c" data-rendition-name="original" width="974" height="1156" loading="lazy" alt="Nepal's meme revolution NT"> </figure>  While noble, the decentralised nature of the protest also made infiltration possible, and violence inevitable. Loot and arson followed. With no clear leader, no one person could be held accountable. But perhaps if the protests had not escalated after the massacre on 8 September outside Parliament, the government would not have fallen at all. Past peaceful protests at Mandala never materialised into anything. Even the 8 September protests had started peacefully, with organisers urging participants not to indulge in violence. Outside Parliament, the commando unit of the APF were seen in wide-shared videos kneeling down to take aim at protesters with automatic weapons. With the social media ban lifted, online posts showing the dead with live round bullet wounds on heads and chests, some in college uniform, were shared widely especially through Instagram stories. Anger was boiling over at police brutality and many posts showed PM Oli with blood on his hands. All of this exemplified the brutality of the state against innocent students, and added fuel to the anger against the state. It was only a question when anger turned to revenge, and that came the next day with the targetted arson and looting.&nbsp; Social media took away any possibility of the government denying or censoring the truth as might have happened in the past at Tiananmen Square and other pre-Internet protests. Nepalis saw it all live on their phones, and the reaction was immediate.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2025092004098_609488466dd350924f972b3c6bc7004bebe229d21281db2f8ca7468df5cce353.png" data-media-id="editor_3" data-image-id="2025092004098_609488466dd350924f972b3c6bc7004bebe229d21281db2f8ca7468df5cce353" data-rendition-name="original" width="1268" height="772" loading="lazy" alt="Nepal's meme revolution NT"> </figure>  On 9 September, the shocking visuals kept playing on loop. By mid-morning all three branches of the government were burning. Politicians chased and beaten, their houses set ablaze — and all this was also streamed in real-time.&nbsp; Social media was also where relatives and friends mourned the dead, came to terms with the reality, and shared their opinions about the days ahead. Nepal now has an interim government with Sushila Karki as the Prime Minister but in the days up to the announcement and even now, social media is rife with conspiracies from India’s involvement to military-royalist collusion, as well as a potential coup. DISCORD&nbsp; To the surprise of everyone, including the GenZ, the next prime minister of Nepal was being decided on Discord, a social media platform popular among gamers during Covid for its ability to host large groups with stable voice communication.&nbsp; Amidst much chaos, people memed, reacted, and spoke in the server which quickly grew to almost 150,000. Social media, for better or worse, is now a way of life with far reaching implications. Kathmandu Mayor Balen Shah, RSP chair Rabi Lamichanne and others appealed to their voter base using social media in the last election, but the same platform was shown to also build and destroy political careers.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2025092005090_a1961c27e714ddb18b916c718724f235eb7ec3380487c7dc555c4395882d0c15.jpg" data-media-id="editor_4" data-image-id="2025092005090_a1961c27e714ddb18b916c718724f235eb7ec3380487c7dc555c4395882d0c15" data-rendition-name="original" width="1333" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Nepal's meme revolution NT"> </figure>  False narratives that are intelligently crafted using deep fake go viral in no time, and can be more damaging than other forms of communication. With high-stake early elections announced for March next year, the campaigning will be more on the digital platforms than door-to-door. There is a strong possibility for it to be used to disinformation and hate speech to incite voters, but equally it can be an interactive medium where citizens can raise their voices. &nbsp; Some candidates with digital-savvy backrooms designing memes and AI-generated visual content will be trying to set false narratives to fan populism. Because of global connectivity, the diaspora will have an unprecedented influence on how folks back home vote.&nbsp; So far, populist candidates have managed to ride on widespread public anger against the main parties and gather protest votes. This time, they may find that you cannot fool all the people all the time.&nbsp; Candidates can no longer hoodwink an unaware, docile populace anymore. People may not be able to read, but they have smartphones. And that gives them a say, an opinion and there must be space for them all as we build back stronger.

Nepal’s meme revolution

What does a journalist do when young protesters are shot in front of her? Does she do her job and stay neutral? Can you stay neutral?&nbsp; As protests engulfed Kathmandu, Nepal's journalists found themselves reporting a story that was personal. While doing their job, some of them were even targeted by mobs.&nbsp; Dart Asia Pacific Fellow <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/arunkarki/" target="_blank">Arun Karki</a> visited their newsrooms and spoke with his colleagues on their experience of reporting the GenZ protests that erupted on 8 September. These are the first-hand accounts of journalists who witnessed the turmoil in the city they call home. Sunita Karki was at a workshop in a hotel on 8 September. She saw the first waves of protests through hotel windows. Curfew alerts flooded her phone, a vehicle belonging to a human rights group sat burning across the road, young boys were taking their wounded friends on motorbikes to the Everest Hospital, and police were beating a teenager with hands raised up.&nbsp; “I cried a lot,” she said, but the tears were not out of fear -- they were because she felt guilt. “I couldn’t write the news. We were witnessing these scenes from a five-star hotel.” By evening, the death toll had reached 19. On 9 September at about 3:35 p.m. &nbsp;her outlet, the Annapurna Post's office in Tinkune, Kathmandu, was set on fire. Staff had to leave the building as parts of the newsroom burnt down.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250924040948_e1cc49c9e4fcc4bd4cd3c0163c782fc4e9956bf633cff7b53a63cf8e2dd74cff.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="20250924040948_e1cc49c9e4fcc4bd4cd3c0163c782fc4e9956bf633cff7b53a63cf8e2dd74cff" data-rendition-name="original" width="1333" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Dart Centre Asia Pacific"> </figure>  When she knew her office was burning, she anxiously told her husband that she would resign from the job: "If we have to hide our identification cards in every protest, what kind of journalist am I?" she asked herself. She filed a story the next day, but her emotions kept bouncing between that of a journalist’s duty and shock. She said that in moments like this, it’s hard to feel truly neutral. After watching the police beat people, she felt a strong urge to step in, not just stand back and report. The first real calm came later, when people came to the street and lit small candles together. “This was a sort of victory procession. I felt some relief after brutal days,” she said. <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/angaddhakal/" target="_blank">Angad Dhakal</a> a photojournalist who works at Kantipur National Daily, was standing outside his office building when protesters stormed in and set parts of it on fire. He had already been informed that protesters were planning to torch his office building and &nbsp;rushed to his office hoping to save his hard drives containing ten years of photography work. He failed. He raised his camera and "forcefully" pressed the shutter - more to document the scene than out of "professional enthusiasm or duty".&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250924040948_ebafaacb85c4ea045c41f2c63f1eff06fee9a4ddb5fbf419724e1a5d533781fa.jpg" data-media-id="editor_3" data-image-id="20250924040948_ebafaacb85c4ea045c41f2c63f1eff06fee9a4ddb5fbf419724e1a5d533781fa" data-rendition-name="original" width="1333" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="It is hard to feel neutral NT"> <figcaption>Photo: GAURAV POKHAREL</figcaption> </figure>  “My office was burning. What should I photograph?” he recalled. A few moments later, a protester noticed the “PHOTO” label on his yellow Press jacket. Dhakal deflected it by saying he was an early career freelancer and YouTuber. So that protesters wouldn't find out, he went to one corner and took his jacket off. When it comes to covering street protests, &nbsp;Angad usually stands near the police because it feels safer. But on 8 September, fire and gunshots made even that area unsafe. A rubber bullet hit his friend Dipendra Dhungana that badly injured him.&nbsp; He thought, “Where do we go now? If we stay here, we’ll be hit.” After witnessing two days of protests, violence, and killings, and seeing his own office burning, he couldn't sleep for days. The same afternoon that government buildings burned and Kantipur was attacked, a message in a protest Discord forum talked openly of 'attacking Kantipur'.&nbsp; Rumours spread to other outlets. Outside OnlineKhabar's office, where <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/article/edit/7376157229248528384/?author=urn%3Ali%3Afsd_company%3A79132377#" target="_blank">Gaurav Pokharel</a> works, the newsroom manager saw “very suspicious people were walking around”. They lowered blinds, avoided windows, locked the front gate and dispersed staff to other places across the city. The outlet was threatened and effectively locked down, but not torched. Pokharel hid his press ID. “ I never showed the ID card. Sometimes I had to enter the crowd shouting slogans, just to blend in among the protesters,” he said. He watched people fall under gunfire, he helped pull one surrounded journalist out of a hostile crowd.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250924040948_3b335eee57280373cb51f460534ca4476df23f89c787ba9e4a66d116a537b1a3.jpg" data-media-id="editor_5" data-image-id="20250924040948_3b335eee57280373cb51f460534ca4476df23f89c787ba9e4a66d116a537b1a3" data-rendition-name="original" width="1333" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="It is hard to feel neutral NT"> <figcaption>Photo: GAURAV POKHAREL</figcaption> </figure>  As a freelancer, Gaurav also contributed articles for international outlets. Later, while transcribing an interview of a young protest organiser, he wrote to his editor at an international outlet : “This was very hard to write. I cried many times while doing it.” He had been working at a stretch for days battling bouts of exhaustion and low blood pressure.&nbsp; Protesters vandalised and set fire within the Singha Darbar complex housing Nepal Television and Radio Nepal. They tried to disrupt public broadcasting.&nbsp; Surendra Paudyal began the day with his press ID hanging on his neck, thinking it would let him move freely. But when he reached Singha Darbar around 3:30PM, the situation felt dangerous.&nbsp; He put the ID in his pocket. When asked what mattered most, he answered without pause: life comes first. In that moment, he felt real fear and a strong duty to protect his team.&nbsp; His focus narrowed to basic things: stay calm, find exits, get everyone out safely. Later, they were able to keep the 8 pm news on air through a regional link. He felt mixed emotions and a sense of relief that the broadcast continued, but also sadness and anger that their own studio had come under attack. Reprinted with permission from the Dart Centre Asia Pacific, a regional hub that provides trauma-informed support and advice to journalists.

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