At one time the Tarai lowlands of Nepal were a paradise for tigers, and for tiger hunters. During the Rana period, the vast tracts of forest and grassland were the stage for grand shoots, or shikars. These hunting expeditions were carried out not only because it benefitted the rulers themselves, but also because it formed an important part of state hospitality.
Their open habitat having vanished, the best hope for Nepal's tigers is within reserves. There, they have to be protected from inbreeding, the poacher's rifle, and the demands of the surrounding villages.
Although archival photographs give the impression of reckless hunting by the Ranas, tigers were harvested on a sustained yield basis, and the shikars in any one locality were spaced out at intervals of several years. Thus, tigers were still plentiful as late as in 1950, and a continuous belt of habitat stretched the length of the kingdom along the Tarai and Inner-Tarai valleys.
I made a dozen trips to different parts of the western and far western Tarai between 1967 and 1972. Travelling by foot and bicycle and staying mainly in Tharu villages, I had opportunity to see things at first hand.