Tiger population declines at reserve in Nepal

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The World Wildlife Fund is decrying a dramatic drop in the Bengal tiger population at a Nepalese nature reserve once regarded as a prime sanctuary for the big cats.

In 2005, there were 20 to 50 tigers in the Suklaphanta Wildlife Reserve. A survey conducted in April found a population of 6 to 14 tigers, the WWF said. The organization said the survey results were quietly announced by the government of Nepal on July 1 and based on a camera trap study conducted in large part by the WWF.

The organization blamed the decline on poachers and the illegal wildlife trade. The WWF reported that two tiger skins and nearly 70 pounds of tiger bones were seized from a Nepalese border town in May.

-- Steve Padilla