Kathmandu - Nepal's endangered one-horned rhinoceros
population was increasing in protected national parks, officials
involved in a recent census of the animal population said Monday.
The census was carried out recently in Chitwan National Park,
about 250 kilometres south-west of the Nepalese capital Kathmandu.
The park is well known for its conservation efforts in protecting
endangered species including greater one-horned Asian rhinoceros and
Royal Bengal tigers.
'A total of 408 rhinos were spotted in the national park during a
recent census,' Director General of Wildlife Conservation Department
Shyam Bajimiya said. 'The number is 36 more than the last census in
2005.'
The team said it had identified many female rhinos were in their
prime which meant the future looked promising for the species.
'The teams were able to identify 100 animals as males and 130 as
females but the sex of the remaining rhinos could not be
established,' Bajimiya said. 'The team came across a considerable
number of young rhinos during the census.'
During the last survey in 2005, the teams were only able to find
372 rhinos and feared for the future of the animals in Nepal's
protected areas.
The new finding has generated a wave of optimism among the
wildlife officials after years of a rapidly declining population of
the animal.
Rhinos are also found in Bardiya National Park in western Nepal
since they were translocated there from Chitwan National Park in the
1980s and 1990s to create a viable alternative population.
However, reports last year said many of the rhinos relocated to
Bardiya National Parks had either been killed by poachers or were
missing.
Nepal listed one-horned Rhinos as an endangered species in the
1960s after the number of animals hit an all-time low of just over 60.
Conservation efforts saw the population rebound to more than 600
in Chitwan National Park in the early 1990s.
The population again declined during Nepal's decade-long
insurgency when army check posts were removed from the wildlife
reserve out of fear of Maoist attacks.
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