Posted on August, 01 2011

Tigers have long been an integral part of Bhutan’s heritage.  Guru Rinpoche brought Buddhism to Bhutan many hundreds of years ago, riding on the back of a flying tigress.  The tiger is known as one of the four protector animals in the Bhutanese “Tag Seng Chung Druk” quartet (Tiger, Snow Lion, Garuda and Dragon).  Thus, this powerful animal remains a symbol of great reverence for the Bhutanese.

On 29th July, 2011, Bhutanese government officials, NGO representatives, hundreds of students from local schools, media and members of the public gathered at the Coronation Park in Thimphu to celebrate the International Tiger Day with other tiger range nations.

The theme of the event was “Youth for conservation: Conserving our national heritage for future generations” with the goal of raising awareness of the plight of wild tigers and the need to protect and conserve tiger habitat.

To mark the event, Bhutan’s Ministry of Agriculture and Forests made the latest official disclosure of tiger population findings in Royal Manas National Park (RMNP). Based on scientific sampling techniques using camera trap technology, 18 individual tigers were confirmed, and experts estimate between 25-35 Tigers in RMNP.  Camera trap photos were showcased at the gathering, along with an overview and demonstration of how the surveys were conducted.

In 2009, the Department of Forests and Park Services in collaboration with WWF Bhutan trained the park staff on use of camera traps to scientifically monitor tiger population. One hundred seventy-six camera traps were set up in Umling, Manas and Gomphu, the three ranges of RMNP.

With the goal of building on this research work, the Royal Government of Bhutan plans to carry out additional tiger surveys in other protected areas across Bhutan, starting with Bumdeling Wildlife Sanctuary and Thrumshingla National Park.

Chief guest for the event, Minister of Agriculture and Forests, Lyonpo (Dr) Pema Gyamtsho, noted that in order to reach the global goal of doubling the tiger population by the next Tiger Year, 2022, the Government of Bhutan has put in place several mechanisms and measures, including an Endowment Fund for Human Wildlife Conflict Management, to which everyone was encouraged to contribute.  Those interested in donating are urged to visit the Wildlife Conservation Division’s website for more information on how to donate: www.dof.gov.bt/ncd

Since youth were the focus of the day’s events, students from various schools across Thimphu were invited to participate. Addressing the crowd, Youth Tiger Summit Ambassador, Mr. Dawa, said “To save tigers, we as youth must urge the world to stabilize our environment, reduce the current rate of biodiversity loss and most importantly garner strong political support and strong conservation ethic”.Another youth representative, Saran Tenzin Tamang inspired the audience with another thought provoking speech, saying “Tigers, as a face of biodiversity and an iconic indicator of integrity of broader ecosystem services, deserve the highest priority in global conservation efforts”.

Besides the official release of RMNP’s tiger population estimate, prizes were awarded to students from Choki Traditional Art School to honour their outstanding tiger theme-based paintings. Also during the day, Tiger stickers and bookmarks were distributed together with the launch of tiger brochures.

WWF Bhutan was pleased to collaborate with the Wildlife Conservation Division, Ministry of Agriculture and Forests, Royal Society for Protection of Nature and other conservation partners to celebrate International Tiger Day and promote continued support to tiger conservation in the months and years ahead. The roar has to resonate for now and forever!