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| Greater one-horned rhinos are counted every five years in Nepal - and the latest census held some good news. (Photo by= Ishwor Joshi) |
[Asia News Communication = Reporter Reakkana] The number of one-horned rhinos in Nepal's wildlife sanctuaries has increased by more than a hundred, marking a positive milestone in the Himalayan nation's conservation efforts, BBC reported.
The results of the latest census showed that Nepal's rhino population has risen to 752, from 645 in 2015. Nepal is among only a few countries where greater one-horned rhinos are found. The animal was close to extinction in the last century, and its revival in Nepal and India is regarded as one of the greatest conservation success stories in Asia. "We are very excited by the rhino survey's findings. After the tigers, now the rhino population has also gone up," Haribhadra Acharya, a senior official at the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, told the BBC. Of the total number of rhinos, more than 90% live in the Chitwan National Park, which is also home to tigers, elephants, leopards, and Gangetic gharials (fish-eating crocodiles).
After the population increase in recent decades, the rhino's status has improved from endangered to vulnerable. Nepali officials said the coronavirus pandemic had helped the animals and their habitat in some ways, as lockdowns gave the rhinos a chance to roam freely without tourists following them. However, poachers have also exploited the situation by killing four rhinos in the past year.
