A tiger has been spotted at an altitude of 3.165 m, in eastern Nepal, thanks to some camera traps that were actually spread to observe the movements of a dozen red pandas, the so-called “foxes on fire”, with collars satellite. The previous record was set at about 2,500 meters in the western part of the Country. The tigers have a great capacity of adaptation is a well known thing, and it’s no coincidence the different subspecies of this big cat is distributed in very different habitats between them, from hot tropical jungles of South East asia to the forests of the freezing of the Russian far east. And also the mountain is not a novelty, since that survives well on altitudes rock of the Himalayas. But it is a discovery which the Wwf calls “sensational”, because it shows once more how the survival instinct will lead the animals to move to the discovery of new habitat that is safe and prey availability.
In good company
“The discovery of another tiger at a high altitude in Nepal — said Stuart Chapman, head of the project Tiger Alive Wwf — highlights the need to map all the potential habitat of the tigers on the mountain ranges of south Asia, in what is a new frontier for the conservation of the species”. The tiger, among other things, is in good company. The camera traps have allowed us to see in the area of the Kangchenjungatra 7 other felids, including leopard, snow leopard, leopard cloudy, cat golden asian leopard cat, jungle cat and marbled cat. The forest habitats of the mountains in nepal can serve as a refuge for predators, the existence of which is increasingly endangered by the conflict between a man and accidents incidental, poaching, and the effects of productive activities and farming, which lead to deforestation and increasing occupation of the territory. Climate change also may have a role in pushing the tigers to higher altitudes.
conservation
New spaces to be taken into consideration, in short, that the tigers and other felines have already started to explore and colonize. “However, they are essential — emphasizes the Wwf in a statement proactive actions to ensure the protection of the tigers, including through the monitoring of the species of the prey, and the awareness of local communities and local government officials, in order to promote co-existence with the man. Also the cross-border cooperation becomes a vital part of the initiatives for the conservation of the species throughout its range”.
