Illegal Hunting of Prey Species in the Northern Section of Bardia National Park, Nepal: Implications for Carnivore Conservation
We interviewed 48 people from communities around Bardia National Park in Nepal, including ex-hunters and protected area management professionals. The purpose of the interviews was to understand the motivations for, and the nature of, illegal hunting of prey species of iconic predators—tigers and leo...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2016-11-01
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| Series: | Environments |
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| Online Access: | http://www.mdpi.com/2076-3298/3/4/32 |
| _version_ | 1811308292544135168 |
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| author | Babu Ram Bhattarai Wendy Wright Ambika Pd. Khatiwada |
| author_facet | Babu Ram Bhattarai Wendy Wright Ambika Pd. Khatiwada |
| author_sort | Babu Ram Bhattarai |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | We interviewed 48 people from communities around Bardia National Park in Nepal, including ex-hunters and protected area management professionals. The purpose of the interviews was to understand the motivations for, and the nature of, illegal hunting of prey species of iconic predators—tigers and leopards—in the northern section of the park. Participants reported that hunting of prey species occurs mostly in spring and autumn and is less common during the summer. In the past, hunting was primarily for the purposes of obtaining meat for household consumption. Since the introduction of a road network in the region, opportunities to sell wild meat at ad hoc “highway markets” have developed. The purported medicinal properties of wild meat was also cited as a driver for illegal hunting. Guns (mostly made locally, by hand) and dogs were reported to be commonly used. Protected area managers indicated that illegal hunting problems in the study area are associated with a lack of presence of park authorities, remoteness and underdevelopment and poverty of the community. Our study suggested that skills development training for local community members might reduce dependency of local people on wild meat, for both household consumption and for income, thereby reducing illegal hunting. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T09:20:36Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f9640ef7dca9453198875ccbf09958e8 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-3298 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T09:20:36Z |
| publishDate | 2016-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Environments |
| spelling | doaj.art-f9640ef7dca9453198875ccbf09958e82022-12-22T02:52:37ZengMDPI AGEnvironments2076-32982016-11-01343210.3390/environments3040032environments3040032Illegal Hunting of Prey Species in the Northern Section of Bardia National Park, Nepal: Implications for Carnivore ConservationBabu Ram Bhattarai0Wendy Wright1Ambika Pd. Khatiwada2Department of National Parks & Wildlife Conservation, Kathmandu 860, NepalFaculty of Science and Technology, Federation University, Gippsland 3842, VIC, AustraliaNational Trust for Nature Conservation-Bardia Conservation Programme, Thakurdwara 3712, NepalWe interviewed 48 people from communities around Bardia National Park in Nepal, including ex-hunters and protected area management professionals. The purpose of the interviews was to understand the motivations for, and the nature of, illegal hunting of prey species of iconic predators—tigers and leopards—in the northern section of the park. Participants reported that hunting of prey species occurs mostly in spring and autumn and is less common during the summer. In the past, hunting was primarily for the purposes of obtaining meat for household consumption. Since the introduction of a road network in the region, opportunities to sell wild meat at ad hoc “highway markets” have developed. The purported medicinal properties of wild meat was also cited as a driver for illegal hunting. Guns (mostly made locally, by hand) and dogs were reported to be commonly used. Protected area managers indicated that illegal hunting problems in the study area are associated with a lack of presence of park authorities, remoteness and underdevelopment and poverty of the community. Our study suggested that skills development training for local community members might reduce dependency of local people on wild meat, for both household consumption and for income, thereby reducing illegal hunting.http://www.mdpi.com/2076-3298/3/4/32Bardiacarnivoreillegal huntingpreywild meat |
| spellingShingle | Babu Ram Bhattarai Wendy Wright Ambika Pd. Khatiwada Illegal Hunting of Prey Species in the Northern Section of Bardia National Park, Nepal: Implications for Carnivore Conservation Environments Bardia carnivore illegal hunting prey wild meat |
| title | Illegal Hunting of Prey Species in the Northern Section of Bardia National Park, Nepal: Implications for Carnivore Conservation |
| title_full | Illegal Hunting of Prey Species in the Northern Section of Bardia National Park, Nepal: Implications for Carnivore Conservation |
| title_fullStr | Illegal Hunting of Prey Species in the Northern Section of Bardia National Park, Nepal: Implications for Carnivore Conservation |
| title_full_unstemmed | Illegal Hunting of Prey Species in the Northern Section of Bardia National Park, Nepal: Implications for Carnivore Conservation |
| title_short | Illegal Hunting of Prey Species in the Northern Section of Bardia National Park, Nepal: Implications for Carnivore Conservation |
| title_sort | illegal hunting of prey species in the northern section of bardia national park nepal implications for carnivore conservation |
| topic | Bardia carnivore illegal hunting prey wild meat |
| url | http://www.mdpi.com/2076-3298/3/4/32 |
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