CHITWAN, April 15: Nepal managed to go on for the last 516 days without having lost a rhino to poaching. While rhinos in Chitwan National Park (CNP) and surrounding areas have died due to natural causes, no poaching incidents have been reported.
According to the park's information officer, Abinas Thapa Magar, on November 16, 2023, poachers killed two rhinos by trapping them in a pit in the Chaparchuli area, located in the eastern sector of the park. Nine days after the incident, the CNP authorities arrested and publicly presented nine suspects.
Rhino population in Nepal reaches 752
He mentioned that due to changes made in the security strategy, poaching has not occurred. So far in the current fiscal year, 24 rhinos have been found dead, and all of them have died due to natural causes. According to information officer Thapa Magar, these rhinos died due to attacks by tigers and crocodiles, fighting among themselves, illness, getting stuck in mud, old age, or being crushed by male rhinos. The local residents living around the park have remained vigilant, preventing poachers from killing rhinos.
In the last fiscal year, 21 rhinos were found dead. Among the dead rhinos, 18 died due to natural causes, two were killed by poachers, and the cause of one death remains unknown. According to Thapa Magar, in the fiscal year 2022/23, a total of 22 rhinos were found dead in CNP. Out of these, 20 died due to old age, one was electrocuted, and one was killed by poachers.
In the past, when there was zero poaching for 1,071 consecutive days, it was celebrated as an achievement. However, in subsequent years, efforts continued to prevent poaching, but it was no longer celebrated as a festival, in line with the policy of working towards eliminating poaching without public celebration.
According to the 2021 census, the population of rhinos in Nepal has reached 752. The highest number of one-horned rhinos is found in CNP, with 694 rhinos. Bardiya has 38, Shuklaphanta has 18, and Parsa has three rhinos. Although there was a plan to conduct a rhino census this year, it had to be postponed due to budget issues at the last moment. Despite not being able to carry out the census, monitoring efforts have been intensified.