Sudden Encounters and Lasting Marks: How Human-Animal Encounters Transform Lives in Bardiya National Park, Nepal

In this intervention, I propose to examine the transformative power of human-wildlife encounters in Bardiya National Park, south-western Nepal, where protected animals and local communities exist in complex proximity. Drawing from 18 months of ethnographic fieldwork, this research investigates what Nepali speakers call jamkaa-bhet ("sudden encounters") - unexpected face-to-face meetings between humans and endangered species including tigers, elephants, rhinoceros, and leopards.
The study contextualises Bardiya as a contested space where conservation efforts have transformed the forest into a metaphorical "battlefield," examining how historical (dis)appropriation and escalating Human-Wildlife Conflicts (HWCs) create conditions for life-altering encounters. The presentation concludes by discussing ongoing artistic collaborations that represent the multi-sensory, emotional dimensions of these encounters through exhibition projects.