A few decades back, there was a time when humans were afraid of the jungle kings; the tigers. Now, the times have changed and the scenario has completely changed and tigers are most afraid of humans. Similarly, the kernel of the roar which we hear from these jungle kings has also altered. Before, tigers roared declaring themselves to be the most powerful beasts in the jungle, but now, they have a silent roar, begging for help and pleading for us to save their lives: a roar that only some of us have heard.

On the occasion of 'World Tiger Day', everyone was applauding the improved statistics of the population of tigers in Nepal which was revealed on the same day. But I sat in front of my television set with a frowning face watching a government officer boasting about the increment in the number of tigers. The cause of my frustration was the same cause that bought happiness in the faces of environmentalist and tiger experts. Although the population of tigers has risen from 121 to 155, the dominating number, 125 of the tigers live in Chitwan National Park and only 30 are distributed in other two national parks. Why is there uneven distribution of tigers in Nepal, even if there are many other favorable national parks they could inhabit?

The statistics show that amongst 155 of the surviving tigers only four of them live in Eastern-Nepal. Likewise, due to the clearance of vast tracts of their natural habitats, tigers from the Western-Nepal are migrating to India in search of a suitable place for settlement, far away from human influence. Most of them migrate to India's Balmiki, Sohelwa, Dudhwa and Katarnia. Many of them are killed by poachers near the border between these two countries while migrating.

A few years back, Sukhla-Phata Wildlife Reserve had the highest population density of tigers in the world. But the fact is, only eight of them live in this previously world famous tiger habitat. This implies that the population of tigers has not increased in the ratio that it should have.  Therefore, it is not yet time to celebrate happiness despite the increment in the number of tigers. Rather more targets should be set and more exercises should to done in order to maintain even distribution of tigers all over without ignoring the bitter truth that Nepal is still a route for the illegal wildlife trade. Due to lack of proper security, coordination and political stability, poachers are highly active in the border areas.

The ecosystem depends on each and every living being and non-living being. As the number of secondary consumers such as other cats and predators decrease, it makes a direct impact on the lives of tigers who the tertiary consumers. Hence, though the facts show that Nepal is moving in the right path to protect the tigers, more efforts have to be made in the conservation of wildlife rather than just emphasising in these ironic animals and celebrating the trifling triumphs.