Check List (Sep 2021)

First record of Bengal Tiger, Panthera tigris tigris Linnaeus, 1758 (Felidae), in eastern Nepal

  • Damber Bista,
  • Sonam Tashi Lama,
  • Janam Shrestha,
  • Yam Bahadur Rumba,
  • Janno Weerman,
  • Madhuri Thapa,
  • Haribhadra Acharya,
  • Ang Phuri Sherpa,
  • Nicholas J. Hudson,
  • Greg S. Baxter,
  • Peter John Murray

DOI
https://doi.org/10.15560/17.5.1249
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 17, no. 5
pp. 1249 – 1253

Abstract

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We report the first record of a Bengal Tiger, Panthera tigris tigris, in eastern Nepal in 2020 based on photographic evidence. We documented this evidence at 3,165 m a.s.l., which makes it the highest elevation record of a tiger in Nepal. We recorded this evidence in one of 46 trail cameras deployed for monitoring Red Pandas in the Panchthar-Ilam-Taplejung (PIT) area. The PIT area, which has non-protected status, borders India in the east. Our finding supports the importance of transboundary conservation, which will benefit local and flagship wildlife in the PIT area.

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