The female rhino was found lying dead near a septic tank near Jagatpur in Biratnagar Municipality -23. The Himalayan nation lost 26 rhinos last year including 14 female rhinos.

“During our investigations, we found that the septic tanks cover could not hold the weight of the rhino and caved in while it was walking over it. The rhino fell into it and did not survive,” said Gopal Bahadur Ghimire, Information and Assistant Conservation Officer, Chitwan National Park (CNP).

The death of the rhino was attributed to human negligence, where the owners had failed to cover the septic tank with a concrete slab.

“We have lost 41 rhinos in the last nine months. Though most of these deaths were from natural causes or non-maligned human mistakes, there are areas where our conservation efforts should focus in the days ahead to reduce wildlife fatalities,” Ghimire said.

The figures are alarming for Nepal, which earlier drew global attention for ‘zero’ rhino poaching years.

CNP authorities claim that most of the rhinos have died due to natural causes, adding that age is the biggest cause of deaths this year.

Statistics of Rhino Deaths in CNP

CNP lost the following number of rhinos between the following age groups in a period of nine months:

This includes 11 rhino deaths in the last four months alone. Ghimire say that park authorities could not identify the age of other dead rhinos.

Causes for Death

“Some rhinos die also during labor pain. This is very tragic, but this has happened,” said Ghimire. Following are the other reasons for death among rhinos:

• Fighting among themselves
• Trapping by humans (intentional or unintentional). Ghimire adds that this is the area where they can raise more awareness among people, saving the vulnerable animals
• 2018 Floods in Nepal
• Electric shocks and injuries
• Illness

“There are many factors behind their death. Though poaching has been largely controlled, rhinos are still vulnerable,” said Ghimire.

The national park has taken the matter seriously and is examining factors that contribute to the death of the rhinos.

“We have been examining the factors that contributed to the deaths of the rhinos. This is a serious matter for us,” he said.

Nepal’s First Wildlife Hospital

Nepal is also coming up with a first-of-its-kind wildlife hospital in Chitwan to ensure proper treatment for its injured and deceased wild animals.

The hospital is being constructed as a result of the rising number of death among Nepal’s wildlife.

“With the construction of the hospital, necessary medicines and technology would be installed which would ease treatment of injured and sick wildlife across Nepal,” says Dr Kamal Gaire of the Chitwan National Park.

Hope the improved provision of wildlife healthcare will bring down the number of Nepal #rhinodeaths, considerably.

Also Read:

• Wildlife Conservation: Nationwide Tiger Census Underway in Nepal

The post Nepal’s CNP Records 41 Rhino Deaths in Nine Months appeared first on Nepali Sansar.

The World Tiger Day (WTD) 2018 shed light on need for awareness about tiger population globally along with challenges and success stories of tiger conservationists in achieving the same.

While the World Wide Fund (WWF) 2018 reports rise in tiger population in its 2016 report, tiger conservationists took on social media on the eve of WT 2018 voicing their concerns about the current status of tiger conservation, globally.

When it comes to conserving biodiversity, Nepal holds a special place in the world as a home to some of the world’s rare flora and fauna- Tigers among them.

World Tiger Day 2018 in Nepal
In line with the global convention taken at Saint Petersburg of Russia in 2010, Nepal has been successfully observing the World Tiger Day on July 29 of every year.

Continuing the journey, Nepal celebrated the World Tiger Day 2018 on a grand scale amid wide range of programs and discussions on ways towards successful conservation of big cats!

Nepal observed the World Tiger Day 2018 under the theme: ‘Fresh Ecology for Tigers’ Protection’.

To mark the seventh edition of the day, Nepal’s Department of National Park and Wildlife Conservation planned various special programs across the country.

However, the most-awaited Tiger Census Report by Nepal Government was not released on the occasion, leaving a little disappointment for the related stakeholders of the country.

The government feels that it would require additional time for a detailed analysis of the scenario before coming up with final survey report.

After field work, we began data analysis on May 15. We have to analyze and compare every single picture from the field. Since we also have to go through data similarly processed by the Valmiki Tiger Reserve of India, it is likely to take more time, says
Gopal Prakash Bhattarai, DG, Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC)

Nepal Forest and Environment Ministry Secretary Bishwa Nath Oli attributes the delay to additional measures needed to maintain accuracy in the survey.

“We have to best utilize science, technology and our own experience rather than misusing it in the rush. The government will publish the report at the right time after conducting a thorough analysis of available data,” says Oli.

The country’s potential tiger reserves are basically across three regions: Chitwan-Parsa, Banke-Bardiya and Shukla-Laljhadi-Jogbudha, which are further categorized into a total of 1,887 grids with each covering a 4 sq.km area.

As part of the survey, a total of 1,643 camera traps were installed across these grids to monitor and record tiger movement.

It’s noteworthy here that Nepal has been at the forefront with regard to one of the most-endangered snow leopard species and has already put forth its plans towards conserving the same.

Alarming Scenario
Nepal began the nation-wide tiger census on November 30, 2017 beginning with the Parsa National Park.

This delay in release of the report gave scope to rise of concerns over the dismaying decrease of tiger population in the country’s tiger reserves especially the Chitwan National Park (CNP), a protected area with the highest number of big cats in the country.

While the 2013 census report records adult tiger population in CNP at 125, the latest reports show some alarming decline of the same i.e. nearly 11 deaths in the last three years including six in 2017-18 alone.

According to the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC), Nepal saw deaths of 33 tigers in the last five years across the country’s protected areas due to natural disasters.

Need of the Hour!
The Global Tiger Day was established following a global convention agreed upon among heads of nearly 13 countries as part of a conference held at Saint Petersburg of Russia in 2010.

For the first time in more than 100 years, WWF reported a rise in tiger population in April 2016.

As the records show, the world currently has around 3,890 tigers across the forests more than an estimated 3,200 recorded in 2010.

This rise is majorly attributed to effective conservation measures taken over the period.

According to conservationists, intensive poaching activity is causing a major hurdle for the increasing tiger population, majorly for their fur and bones for medicinal purposes.

Looking at this scenario, global biologists feel that continuing such a trend may lead to full extinction of tigers in the coming ten years.

Let’s hope the global conservation strategy and related measures to double tiger population by 2022 would address existing concerns pertaining to tiger population.

Also Read: 

• Wildlife Conservation: Nationwide Tiger Census Underway in Nepal
• Wildlife Conservation: India, Nepal To Estimate Tiger Population

The post World Tiger Day 2018: Nepal Continues Tiger Conservation Measures appeared first on Nepali Sansar.

With a good number of wildlife reserves like Parsa Wildlife Reserve, the largest among others such as Chitwan National Park, Nepal tourism has a wide range of options for nature and animal lovers.

Extending up to Hetauda-Birgunj highway in the east, surrounded by the Chitwan National Park in the west, the Rapti River and Siwalik Hills in the north and thick forest cover in the south, Parsa Wildlife Reserve is spread across a total area of 637.37 sq. km..

Covering three different districts- Parsa, Makwanpur and Bara, the reserve lies in the protected area of the Inner Terai lowlands of south-central Nepal.

What Makes Parsa Attractive?

Parsa protected area is home to an estimated 919 species of flora including 298 vascular plants, 234 dicots, 58 monocots, five pteridophytes and one gymnosperm.

When it comes to fauna, the reserve hosts a good number of endangered species including more than 19 Bengal Tigers, 37 gaurs, wild sloth bears, Asian elephants, sambar, leopards, blue bulls, chitals, hog and barding deers, langurs, rhesus macaques, striped hyenas, jungle cats and Palm civets, among others. The reserve offers a special jungle safari to the visitors.

The reserve is also habitat for more than 500 bird species such as white-breasted kingfishers, paradise flycatchers, large racquet-tailed drongos and golden-backed woodpeckers, among others.

Reptiles such as python, king cobra, common cobra, common and banded Karits are seen in Parsa.

While the tropical and subtropical forest types form the typical vegetation, sal forest type makes up to 90 percent of the reserve’s vegetation.

The reserve also has the Churia hills ranging from 750-950m from east to west. 

Other Places of Interest Near Parsa

Located near the reserve headquarters is a tower that provides the visitors an unforgettable viewing experience.

Khailash Bhata, located atop the hill, is a place of religious interest housing two temples (Dugdeswor Mahadev) of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati.

There is also an elephant camp near Amlekhgunj.

Easily Reachable!

Tourists can take on the main Kathmandu-Hetauda-Birgunj highway to reach the park’s entrance.

There are also buses from Kathmandu to reach the reserve, but takes a 6-7-hour long journey. The reserve can also be reached through a flight to Simara and then a 15-minute bus journey to the reserve’s headquarter.

The reserve presents a pleasant experience during Winter (October-December) period, during which the temperatures are usually seen at 0°C.

Whereas, the temperature goes up in the spring season (January-March), hot and humid climate during summer season (April-June) at around -40°C. July-September presents a rainy season. 

The post Experience Unseen Biodiversity with Nepal’s Parsa Wildlife Reserve appeared first on Nepali Sansar.

The Government of Nepal, Denver Zoo of United States of America and World Wildlife Fund are jointly funding this project estimated at a cost of Rs 30 million.

While 70 percent of construction activity has been completed, the hospital is still to see its full infrastructure potential with regard to required manpower and technology deployment.

“With the construction of the hospital, necessary medicines and technology would be installed which would ease treatment of injured and sick wildlife across Nepal,” says Dr Kamal Gaire of the Chitwan National Park.

Chitwan National Park has been witnessing a gradual rise in death of wild animals in the Park due to injuries or various other health issues.

According to Chitwan National Park Assistant Conservation Officer Narendra Regmi, rhinos in the Chitwan Park are facing such issues and facing deaths due to improper medical facilities.

Besides one-horned rhinos, other wild animals such as leopard, tiger, cheetal, deer, blue bull and Boar have also died due to lack of treatment.

The 2017-18 fiscal alone saw 25 death casualties of one-horned rhinos with around 14 of them reporting infections caused by injuries.

Annually, Chitwan National Park alone is witnessing deaths of more than 50 wild animals naturally with half of them suffering injuries due to lack of proper medical treatment.

Jawalakhel-based zoo has already begun offering medical facilities to injured wild animals.

As his contribution to the hospital, Acting Chief at the National Trust for Nature Conservation Ram Kumar Aryal has agreed to contribute a moving x-ray machine and quarantine facility.

Elated at the announcement, wildlife conservationists, stakeholders and wildlife supporters welcomed the construction of a hospital dedicated to wildlife protection in Chitwan.

The foundation stone for the construction of this Chitwan Wildlife Hospital was laid on March 04, 2015.

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