Nepal government has named a pair of one-horned rhinos as part of the final preparations to send them to China as gift.
A team of CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) from China will arrive in Nepal on June 28 to take stock of the rhinos, said Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC). Deputy Director General at the department Gopal Prasad Bhattarai said the pair to be gifted to China in the first phase has been named as Bhadra (male) and Rupeshi (female). “This pair of rhinos will be sent to China in the current fiscal year,” he said. “The other pair will be sent to China next year.”
Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli had decided to provide two pairs of endangered rhinos as gifts to China during his first tenure of premiership.
The male rhino was captured from Khoriyamuhan and the female was captured form Sukhibhar area of Chitwan National Park (CNP). They have been kept at special enclosure called “Pit Boma” within the park premise, CNP information officer Narendra Aryal informed. He said a team of CITIES officials from China will arrive in Nepal and take a call on scientific and management permit. “All four rhinos kept at the national park are healthy,” he said.
Ministry of Forest and Environment has named the pair of rhinos and sent them to CNP via Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation. DNPWC information officer Narayan Rupakheti confirmed that the CITIES team will arrive in Nepal on June 28. “We have started building four set of special cage as asked by the Chinese officials. The cages will be ready in week,” he added.
Though Nepal government has pledged to gift two pairs of rhino, it would not be possible to give more than a par in one year. The next pair will be sent next year, said Bhattarai. “The process has begun to send the rhinos to China,” he said. “Diplomatic letters must be exchanged through Foreign Ministry, and Embassy in order send the rhinos.”
Chitwan National Park Veterinary Doctor Kamal Gaire said the rhinos have been kept at “Buma” to keep them free from disease and train them to get accustomed to human. Buma is a three-meter deep pit secured by fence from all sides. The rhinos will be kept inside a cage and flown to China.
Though China doesn’t have natural habitat for one-horned rhino, the neighbour had requested Nepal government to present it two pairs of rhinos during China visit of former Forest Minister Agni Sapkota. A team of Chinese conservations had visited Nepal earlier this year to observe and study the rhino habitat.
Nepal has not given rhinos in gift to any other countries since the monarchy government presented a pair of rhinos to Austria. In return for the rhinogift, China has pledged to provide financial aid for wildlife conservation in Nepal and for building the Zoological Park being built in Surya Binayak, Bhaktpur.
