The number of greater one-horned rhinos in Nepal has increased to 752, up from 645 in 2015, according to the latest census. This marks a significant achievement for the Himalayan nation's conservation efforts, as the species was once close to extinction.
More than 90% of the rhinos reside in Chitwan National Park, which also hosts tigers, elephants, leopards, and Gangetic gharials. The population growth has improved the rhino's status from endangered to vulnerable, though experts caution that the picture remains fragile.
Officials noted that the coronavirus pandemic inadvertently helped rhinos by reducing tourist activity, allowing them to roam more freely. However, poachers killed four rhinos during the same period. The census, delayed from 2020 due to the pandemic, involved 350 experts conducting a visual headcount over three weeks.
The survey faced challenges, including an attack by a rogue wild elephant in Chitwan that injured several team members, and a tiger killing an elephant trainer in Bardiya sanctuary. Despite the rise in numbers, the annual growth rate has slowed to 3%, down from 5% between 2011 and 2015, attributed to natural deaths from old age, territorial fights, flooding, and disease.
Nepal's conservation success follows decades of effort. The rhino population plummeted to fewer than 100 in the 1960s due to poaching, deforestation, and habitat encroachment. Strict anti-poaching measures and community involvement have driven recovery, though the 1996–2006 civil war saw a surge in poaching. The government has since deployed soldiers in parks and strengthened local partnerships to protect wildlife.
