Abstract
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.
Highlights
The presence of Tiger, Panthera tigris (Linnaeus, 1758), hereafter tiger, is one of the six extant subspecies of is reported from 11 Asian countries (Goodrich et al Tiger (Liu et al 2018)
We report the first record of a Bengal Tiger, Panthera tigris tigris, in eastern Nepal in 2020 based on photographic evidence
We recorded a single tiger as by-catch with one of these cameras on two different occasions: 13 and 21 November 2020 (Fig. 2)
Summary
The presence of Tiger, Panthera tigris (Linnaeus, 1758), hereafter tiger, is one of the six extant subspecies of is reported from 11 Asian countries (Goodrich et al Tiger (Liu et al 2018). Tigris (Linneaus, 1758)], Nepal, India, Bhutan, Bangladesh, western China, and. Records of tiger above 3,000 m a.s.l. are rare except in India (Bhattacharya and Habib 2016; Adhikarimayum and Gopi 2018) and Bhutan (Jigme and Tharchen 2012; Tempa et al 2019). The highest elevation in India where tiger has been recorded is 3,630 m a.s.l. as (Adhikarimayum and Gopi 2018), while there are no records of tigers above 2500 m a.s.l. in Nepal (WWF-Nepal 2020)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
