Chitwan, Sept. 15 -- As Nepal's tiger population grows, so does the need to capture animals that enter settlements and attack people or livestock. But the country has too few facilities to house rescued tigers, and many of the existing enclosures are designed only for short-term confinement.

The latest national tiger census, released last month, put Nepal's tiger population at 429. Nineteen of them are being kept either at the Jawalakhel zoo, the country's only zoo, or in rescue facilities. Chitwan National Park and the forests around it have the country's largest tiger population, with 145 tigers, up from 128 four years ago. Seven tigers are currently being kept in enclosures in Chitwan alone.

Tiger numbers in Chitwan and Parsa nationa...