KATHMANDU, Dec 03: National Rhino Census is going to be conducted this winter. The rhino census was not held for two years due to various reasons.
The census is going to be conducted at four national parks of the country. Information Officer at the Department of National Park and Wildlife Conservation, ecologist Hari Bhadra Acharya, said that the Department has allocated eight million rupees for the same.
Preparation was made to conduct rhino census in 2019, one year after the flood swept away rhinos at Chitwan National Park in 2018. It was not possible in lack of budget after the government did not allocate budget for the same.
Though preparation was made to conduct rhino census last year, it was stopped in the last minute due to COVID-19.
He further said that all preparations has been made last year and only some works like training of those involved to count the population of rhino should be repeated.
Rhinos are found in Chitwan, Parsa, Bardia and Shuklaphanta national parks. Rhino census was conducted in 2015 before this.
CNP’s chief conservation officer Ananath Baral said it will take a month to count rhinos in the Chitwan National Park. According to him, it will take a week to 10 days to count the number of rhinos in other national parks.
Baral said the process has been forwarded for the management of the required logistics for this purpose.
Rhino census was conducted in the country in 1994, 2000, 2005, 2008, 2011 and 2015. The latest census recorded the highest number of rhinos in CNP.
It had counted 605 rhinos in the Chitwan National Park.
