Chitwan National Park (CNP) has marked 516 consecutive days without any incidents of one-horned rhino poaching, a significant milestone in Nepal’s wildlife conservation efforts. According to CNP Information Officer Abinash Thapa Magar, the last known poaching incident occurred on November 16, 2023, when two rhinos were killed in the Chaparchuli area of the park’s eastern sector. Nine individuals involved in the case were arrested and publicly identified shortly after.
Since then, the park has implemented stricter security measures and revised its anti-poaching strategies, resulting in no further cases of illegal hunting. In the current fiscal year, 24 rhinos have died within the park and its surrounding areas all due to natural causes such as tiger and crocodile attacks, illness, or old age. In comparison, 21 rhinos died in the previous fiscal year, of which 18 were from natural causes and two from poaching.
In the fiscal year 2079/80 BS, 22 rhinos died in total, with only one case linked to poaching. Notably, the park had earlier celebrated a record of 1,071 days without any rhino poaching. According to the 2021 national rhino census, Nepal is home to 752 one-horned rhinos. Of these, 694 reside in Chitwan National Park, making it the primary habitat for this endangered species in the country.
