Chitwan National Park is the main habitat of rare wildlife tigers, rhinos, elephants, bears. Remembering these animals creates fear in the mind, but millions of tourists from the country/abroad come here to see the same animals. Wildlife viewing by jeep or elephant safari. Elephant safaris take place only in intermediate community forests. But jeep safaris take place in both parks and community forests. And, there are also long walks to see the forest and animals.

Elephant safaris are carried out by mahouts. Tourists who go on jeep safaris, jungle walks and river boat safaris must carry a guide. The responsibility of identifying the forest, showing the wildlife and satisfying the tourists and taking them out of the forest safely is on the shoulders of the 'Nature Guide'. A nature guide should not only show and identify the forest and animals, but should also have the skills and courage to protect them from animals. The profession of nature guide is exciting and challenging.

It's been 6 years since Kajal Tamang and Asmita Mahato embraced the challenging profession of nature guide. Jogeshwar, the father of 24-year-old Asmita of Bachuli, an old Tharu settlement of Chitwan under Ratnanagar Municipality-6, was an employee of Hattisar in Chitwan Park.

Asmita was only one and a half years old, when Jogeshwar was working at a post in Nawalparasi, Kujauli, in the park, looking after elephants. "At that time, Baba died after being attacked by a tiger while going to the forest to get grass for the elephants," Asmita recalled the sad story she had heard about the incident that day. Asmita, who lost her father in a wild animal attack, is currently living her daily routine in the forest.

Around 2018, a large group of young women were in Sauraha to train as nature guides. Asmita, involved in the same training, got basic knowledge about the importance of forest and animals, the nature of animals, reasons for attacking, and the art of escape. 

The idea of ​​taking tourists from the country/abroad to visit Chitwan to see the forest and animals, animals, plants and the environment of the forest as a whole has been trained. With this training, I felt that we have been able to protect not only jobs, but also the environment," said Asmita. And it started, the work of taking tourists around the forest, showing tigers, rhinos and other wild animals and also making money. 

Kajal and his friend entered the forest on foot a year ago with two Nepalis and two foreigners. In the month of March, there was a pleasant atmosphere of laborers, but at that time a different sound of 'tattat' was heard. They saw a male and a female rhino facing each other without trying to make a sound. Paired rhinos are aggressive. Before entering the forest, tourists are told what to do in such situations. Kajal instructed the tourist to turn around.   Following the

, she told him to come quickly, the foreigner jumped into the bush in a panic. Asmita and Kajal had the responsibility to handle the situation when it became dangerous. They started shouting and banging their sticks on the ground to drive away the rhinoceros. Finally they saved the tourist from the rhinoceros. The matter is not limited to this. While sitting down for lunch, the Maui rhinoceros with its baby was again seen nearby.

A rhinoceros with a baby is also very aggressive. Kajal and Asmita moved the tourists to a safe place. On his way back, he found a sitting rhinoceros. Fun or fear? Kajal and Asmita had a slightly different feeling that day, "It's fun to see animals while walking in the forest, but the first incident added more stress to the tourists who were a bit nervous!" 

Although she has basic knowledge about forests and wild animals, Kajal finds her profession challenging as the environment is not always the same. "We should have knowledge and the ability to take decisions as soon as possible after looking at the field conditions," said Kajal, "We should not only explain the forest and animals to the tourists, but also keep them safe."

Sushmita Neupane and Yakan Tiwari welcoming tourists.

From Sauraha through West-North Khorsor to Babtal, they were walking in the forest. Two pairs of tourists, a male and a female from Sri Lanka, were on a jungle walk after taking a boat safari on Budhi Rapti around 7 am. An unexpected encounter with a baby rhinoceros. Both the mother and baby rhinoceros started running towards the man. Another guide, Naveen Adhikari, accompanied Yaman. Remembrance kept the tourist by cutting the bark of a fallen tree.

After the tourist reached a safe place, Navin along with Yamanan chased the rhino away by shouting and banging sticks. That day he realized why two expert guides are needed when going to the forest. "Suddenly facing such a situation is like being afraid. But when we saw that we were able to keep the tourists safe by sending the animals back, it also gave us confidence that we have good knowledge,'' said Yakaman. She left her little daughter at home and left for this job after three months of childbirth.

Guide Sushmita Neupane accompanies tourists on jeep safaris. Three years ago, the jeep in which they had gone on a 'half day safari' was returning from Kasara to Sauraha. Even though it was getting late in the evening, the jeep did not stop despite seeing the animals. Just then, a tiger was found that was about to cross the road, but after seeing a jeep nearby, it got stuck. The tiger did not leave the road. Keeping a safe distance from the tiger and waiting was not an option. Sushmita took the responsibility of handling

. She urged the tourists to remain calm. The tiger didn't push too hard. After a while he was on his way, the jeep barely moving forward. She says that it is the nature guide's religion to take care of many things in the forest and move forward. But there are very few nature guides like Kajal, Asmita, Yakkan and Sushmita in Chitwan. According to Anil Gurung, president of Chitwan Nature Guide Association, there are 464 trained nature guides serving around Sauraha. But there are not even 10-12 women, says Chairman Gurung. Safari tourism advanced with the opening of Tiger Tops, the leading jungle lodge in Chitwan.

8 years before the establishment of Chitwan National Park, Nepal's first park in 2030, Tiger Tops was opened in the forest area of ​​Meghauli. With the opening of the park, the number of tourists coming for safari from home and abroad started to increase. Chitwan Park is the country's first national park as well as the country's first destination for wildlife tourism. Tourism was opened with the establishment of the park.

Currently, around 300,000 tourists visit Chitwan Park every year. Along with tourism, the need for nature guides also increased. But it is very late for women to participate in nature guides. Doma Paudel of Sauraha is the first active woman nature guide of Chitwan Park. After training in 2007, Doma is still in this profession. In 2011, Vimita Bhandari of Kumroz joined this profession. In 2018, when a women-only nature guide training course opened in Sauraha, 20 people applied. But 15 participated in the training. From that group only Asmita Godar along with Kajal, Sushmita, Yakan, Asmita Mahato are working now.

Ghatgai Jagatpur Meghauli, the western region of Chitwan Park, has now opened many high-class tourist hotels. Twelve of them are nature guide Elina Chaudhary working at the jungle lodge. Elina started working as a nature guide at Barahi Jungle Lodge from 2022 following the footsteps of her father nature guide and conservationist DB Chaudhary of Nawalparasi Laukhani. In Barahi, which has 10 nature guides, after Elina, there are four female nature guides namely Sudiksha Kumal, Prabha Kumal and Sakina Chaudhary. Meghauli Serai Taj Safari along with

Bahari has also hired a woman Swastika Mahato as a nature guide. Chairman Manesh Limbu said that there are 92 nature guides in Ghatgai Meghauli Nature Guide Association. Five of them are women. Women have come to Nature Guide. I don't know that tourists have complained about their service, hospitality and security, they are excellent," said President Limbu.

Those who have heard the news about the 'fierce behavior' of tigers, rhinos, and wild elephants find this work dangerous. But if you can understand the style, nature, and habits of these wild animals and behave accordingly, you can enjoy watching the animals in your tune. Guides are trained in jungle trekking. As it sags, it gets more and more scratchy. And they take the tourists around the forest, protecting and protecting them. Doma Paudel has the experience of learning a lot by doing after getting the basic training and getting on the job. They also take refresher training every year.

Alina Choudhary

'I think that if we get good and high-level training, we will also improve, there are safety issues, knowledge will also increase and we would become proficient in the art of explaining to tourists,' says Alina Choudhary. Elina has also received the 2024 'Naturalist of the Year' award. India's Toughtiger has been awarding nature guides working in high-end resorts in this way. Manesh Limbu, president of Ghatgai Meghauli Nature Guide Association, believes that Alina's success is linked to the success of women nature guides in Nepal.