Leonardo DiCaprio celebrated some very good news for the tiger population this afternoon.

The very outspoken environmentalist and animal activist posted on his facebook page:

“Great news World Wildlife Fund and Tiger WWF! Tiger numbers in a park in Nepal have doubled since 2009. When you protect tiger habitats from deforestation and poachers, these big cats can make a comeback.”

In an effort to track and protect the tiger population, World Wildlife Fund conducted a recent camera trap study in Nepal. Using these traps, they were able to identified 37 individual tigers. This is a considerable gain, since they had identified only 18 tigers in 2009. The tigers were monitored over a three-month period inside Bardia National Park in Nepal and the Khata wildlife corridor in the Terai Arc Landscape.

This exciting news is a result of Nepal’s commitment to reaching TX2—an initiative to double tiger populations by 2022, the next year of the tiger.

“This is proof that doubling the number of wild tigers is achievable if efforts by local communities and rangers on the frontlines of tiger conservation are complemented by high-level political support,” said Shubash Lohani of WWF’s Eastern Himalayas program.

The issues surrounding the protection of the large cat population has been one that is close to DiCaprio’s heart. Just a few months ago, he spoke out using social media about exotic cats in private captivity.

Visit WorldWildLife.org to learn more about the study and see more images from the camera traps.

Source: http://www.globalanimal.org