Here's some surprisingly good news: Tigers are on their way back, baby!
A recent survey and study in Nepal discovered the nation's endangered tiger population has almost DOUBLED over the last decade. This is an incredible development!
Wildlife organizations worldwide reacted to the stunning news:
Tiger numbers are surging in Nepal - from 121 counted in 2009 up to 235, nearly double, announced today https://t.co/su5qXTQG8T— WWF News (@WWF News) 1537706458.0
Congratulations #Nepal! With a new population estimate of 235 tigers, Nepal is set to become the first country to… https://t.co/yX3wuKrV2p— WWF Scotland (@WWF Scotland) 1537695652.0
Breaking news - Nepal's wild tiger populations are close to doubling! 🐅 From 121 to 235, this significant increase… https://t.co/5rt5w085lB— WWF UK (@WWF UK) 1537688988.0
The video below explains how researchers conducted the study in painstaking detail:
Nepal is set to become the first country to double their wild tiger population. Here's how @WWFNepal counted 235 ti… https://t.co/4zLh5IOEkB— WWF UK (@WWF UK) 1537691021.0
Tigers aren't the friendliest bunch, so researchers had a few tricks for measuring their population without getting too close. This involved dozens of cameras that could intuitively recognize variations in their stripe patterns, for example. Pretty cool!
Animal lovers were understandably thrilled about the news:
@MissEms92 @ktoxberry @LDeane92 Enjoy telling them this incredible news! 🐅— WWF UK (@WWF UK) 1537731469.0
@GTisLyf In 2016 it was revealed that there are 3,900 tigers in the wild. We want to double the number of wild tige… https://t.co/yAr8L9LR7H— WWF UK (@WWF UK) 1537731433.0
@wwf_uk Its so rare to read positive, good news stories when it comes to #animals that this is bloody fantastic. Mo… https://t.co/xgt1Tzszwm— George Paws (@George Paws) 1537702271.0
Sadly, tigers in Nepal aren't out of the woods yet, so to speak. Gangs of criminal poachers are known to hunt the animals for their skin, teeth, and other body parts for use in various products and traditional medicines.
If you love tigers -- don't just tweet! Support organizations like the WWF that work tirelessly to protect these majestic animals.
H/T: The Independent, WWF