Kathmandu, Jan. 10:The British Government has given a grant of over US$ 36,000 to WWF Nepal for a tiger-monitoring project in Chitwan, Bardia and Shuklaphanta tiger conservation units.

WWF Nepal will use the funds to work with the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation and The King Mahendra Trust for Nature Conservation to monitor tigers in the wild, according to a British Embassy press release.

The technology of camera trapping has been applied in the Royal Bardia National Park since 1997 and was extended to Shuklaphanta in 1998. The field teams have been able to use the pictures to gather information about 28 tigers (24 in Bardia and 4 in Shuklaphanta). This data has been compiled and analysed to develop a comprehensive and unique record of a species threatened with extinction.

This project is part of an on-going programme of conservation activities funded by the British Government which includes a study of Nepal’s compliance with its CITES obligations which was published in May 1999, the statement stated.