Chitwan– Nepal government had formulated different policies to prevent the poaching of rhinos that resulted in the decline of rhino poaching in the past few years. However, the rate of rhino deaths increased dramatically due to other reasons. Therefore, it is high time to look into the mistakes, weaknesses or negligence in the campaign to protect rhino.
Not a single rhino was poached in the current fiscal year. But 41 rhinos died due to various other reasons.
Earlier on January 3, 2011, the Chitwan National Park had reported no rhino death by poachers in the surrounding areas. Hence, the Chitwan National Park and Wildlife Protection Department on January 7, 2012 celebrated ‘zero poaching’ year in Sauraha.
Though the poaching was controlled, the death of rhinos from natural causes had increased, raising eyebrows of the concerned authorities. Against the backdrop of celebrating the ‘zero poaching’ year, 12 rhinos had died due to natural causes in the same year while 14 had died in the previous year.
Officials from the concerned authority had held only minor discussions on the natural deaths of rhinos in the program organized to celebrate the zero poaching because they had not thought that the natural deaths would pose a serious challenge in the future. It has become a tradition to celebrate the zero poaching every year after the Chitwan National Park celebrated the zero poaching year one time. The Park officials had started a campaign to increase the security posts and also deployed special mobile teams to curb the poaching.
At least 26 rhinos had died due to natural causes in the last fiscal year. Deputy Protecting Officer at the Chitwan National Park and Information Officer Gopal Bahadur Ghimire said that 41 rhinos lost their lives to natural causes in the current fiscal year.
Problems unheard
Madhukar Malla, Chairman at the Buffer Zone Management Committee of the Chitwan National Park, said the problem has surfaced after the concerned authority did not give attention to other problems rather than poaching. “I had raised my voice time and again in the past saying that the rhinos are dying due to other reasons rather than the poaching. But no one listened to me,” Malla said.
Though the number of rhinos has increased in the recent years, the grasslands and ponds have been decreasing gradually. Malla said that the concerned authority should have given proper attention towards it. Rhinos have started going outside the park in search of pasture and water. The rhinos have started eating the crops of villagers. Many rhinos had died after falling into the traps installed by locals to protect their crops. According to the data of Chitwan National Park, three rhinos had died after falling into the traps set up by locals to protect their crops in the fiscal year 2015/2016.
According to the statistics received from the Chitwan National Park, of the 41 rhinos found dead this year, 32 had died inside the park. Information Officer Ghimire said that seven rhinos were found dead in buffer zone while two were found dead in district forest area.
He said that six rhinos had died due to natural causes while eight died in the fight with each other and the remains of 21 rhinos were also found.
Naresh Subedi, a member of the probe team formed by the Chitwan National Park and Wildlife Protection Committee to probe into the deaths of rhinos, said that the number of rhino deaths had not increased due to the epidemic outbreak.
Meanwhile, the park administration has started giving attention to manage grasslands and ponds from this year amidst criticism from several quarters.
Information Officer Ghimire said that 200 hectare of grasslands will be managed for the rhinos this year. Similarly, 70 waterholes and ponds will also be constructed and renovated. He said that only 10-15 ponds used to be renovated in the past years. According to Ghirmire, around Rs 15 million will be spent for the grasslands and ponds this year. In the previous years, the concerned authority used to spend around Rs 1 million to Rs 1.5 million. Saying that the budget and area have been increased, he said the habitat of rhinos will be improved this year.
Naresh Subedi expressed his hopes that the rhinos will not die anymore as many new ponds have been constructed for them.
It has been assumed that many rhinos might have died due to the flooding that occurred in Chitwan National Park last year. The population of rhinos have increased in the Chitwan National Park. Out of 645 rhinos across the country, there are around 605 rhinos in the Chitwan National Park and surrounding areas. It has been learnt that as many as 26 rhinos died in 1999. The number of rhinos was less then.
The park administration has become more serious about poaching. The administration has increased the security posts inside the Chitwan National Park and also increased the security activities. The park has been using modern equipment to carry out monitoring. The poachers have been arrested and the punishment has also been increased. Earlier, the park had imposed a fine of Rs 100,000. Now it has increased the fine up to Rs 1 million and 15-year jail sentence. The park had even arrested fugitive poacher from abroad and sent to jail. But the deaths of rhinos have not decreased due to lack of proper attention towards managing the habitat.
“The park has been carrying out good work to manage the habitat this year. Perhaps this will play a vital role in decreasing the deaths of rhinos. I hope that the rhinos will not die due to other reasons from the next year. But the work being carried out at the park is not enough. The park should give more attention,” Malla said.
One-horned rhino is an endangered animal which is on the verge of extinction. This rhino is found only in Nepal and India in the natural habitat. There are around 3,000 one-horned rhinos. Poachers kill the one-horned rhinos for their horns. The poaching of rhinos for the horns has been controlled in Nepal. But, the endangered animal is at risk due to lack proper food and water.
