Sunsari-The Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve has welcomed a total of 11,603 visitors so far in the current fiscal year of 2024-25.

According to Bhupendra Prasad Yadav, the Reserve Chief and Senior Conservation Officer, the vast majority of visitors—11,214 individuals—were domestic tourists. Additionally, the reserve hosted 87 tourists from SAARC countries (comprising 42 women and 45 men) and 302 international tourists from other countries, evenly split between 151 women and 151 men.

Spanning 348 square kilometers—including a 173-square-kilometer buffer zone—the reserve is situated on an island formed by the Saptakoshi River across the Sunsari and Saptari districts. As Nepal's only wildlife reserve, it is world-renowned for its population of indigenous wild water buffaloes (Arna). The protected area also serves as a vital habitat for freshwater dolphins, various fish species, and mugger and Gharial crocodiles.

Recognized globally for its ecological importance, Koshi Tappu has been designated as a Ramsar wetland site since 1987 and functions as a critical biological corridor connecting to eastern India. While the reserve lacks large carnivores, with the exception of leopards, it perfectly preserves the unique biodiversity, forest characteristics, and natural environment of the eastern Tarai and Madhesh regions.-RSS