The Chitwan National Park (NCP) said that elephants, enumerators and necessary equipments have been readied at Pratappur of eastern belt of CNP for the rhino counting-2015.
CNP Information Officer Tikaram Poudel said that the rhino counting would begin from Ramauli Pratappur of Chitwan-Parsa Complex.
The Ministry of Forests is beginning the count of the one-horn rhinoceros in collaboration with the Forest Department, and the National Park and Wildlife Reserve Department (NPWRD). For the enumeration, National Nature Conservation Trust and the World Wildlife Fund would provide financial and technical assistance.
It would take some 25 days to complete the pachyderm count while the total cost for the mission is estimated Rs 8 million, officials said.
Poudel said that 40 enumerators were imparted training for the rhino census while altogether 34 elephants would be mobilized for the counting.
CNP's assistant conservation officer Bhishnu Thapaliya said that the habitats of rhinos would be divided in 19 different locations and would be counted by stationing camps in 10 different sites.
The CNP said that GPS receivers, cameras, recording forms and binocular androids would be used for the exact number of the rhino by the use of direct observation system.
According to the NPWRD, the employees at the national park along with the experts will begin the enumeration of the rhinoceros early morning. When the night falls, the counting is stopped, and begun from the very place next day.
The endangered animal is estimated over 500 in the Chitwan National Park. The latest rhino counting in 2011 had put the total number of this wildlife across the country at 534. There were 503 rhinos in Chitwan National Park, 24 in Bardiya National Park and seven in Shuklafanta Wildlife Reserve. RSS
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