CHITWAN, Feb 21: The Chitwan National Park (CNP) has laid special emphasis on the management of grassy land as a measure to prevent the growing natural deaths of the one-horned rhinos.

CNP chief conservation officer Narayan Rupakheti informed the national park is managing grass in over 600 hectares of land during the current fiscal year.

He further said the CNP has appropriated a budget of Rs 35 million placing high emphasis on the management of grassy land.

Of the total budget, the CNP had earmarked Rs 30 million to manage grassy land in new areas and Rs five million for old areas.

The contractor company has accepted a contract of Rs 18.7 million to carry out all the works and it will be initiated in some days, said CNP’s assistant conservation officer Prakash Uprety.

The grass is being managed for rhino in 55 new and 15 old areas.

It is estimated that grassy land has covered around 10 percent of Chitwan National Park.

Last year the budget amounting to Rs 1.9 million was allocated for the management of grassy land.

The budget will be used to manage the land from this year by using the necessary equipment and instruments.

The CNP is preparing to manage new grassland in 1,500 hectares in the coming three years. Likewise, it has floated a plan to carry out necessary maintenance and construction of 49 ponds in the current fiscal year.

With growing death tolls of elephants due to natural reasons, the CNP has put special emphasis on managing grass and water to protect the one-horned rhinos. -RSS

KATHMANDU, March 12: The government of Nepal is planning to conduct a census of one-horned rhinos in its own fund in March next year.

After the census- which chiefly relied on donors for fund – was called off citing lack of fund last year, the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation had asked the government to allocate money for conducting the census.

The wildlife department was able to raise only 10 percent of the Rs 10 million required for conducting the census. Although the park generated Rs 290 million in revenue last fiscal year, half of it was allocated for local communities while the rest went to the central government’s budget.

The government has allocated Rs 11 million for the count and has requested the non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to contribute Rs 5 million for the rhino census next year, according to department assistant director Ram Chanda Kandel.

The census is being conducted in the wake of the increasing number of deaths of rhinos in the Chitwan National Park. According to park officials, as many as 45 rhinos have been found dead in the park since 2018 mid-July.

The census will help provide a clear picture of whether the country’s main rhino sanctuary is hosting more rhinos than its capacity, according to officials.

The rhino census is conducted every 5 years in Nepal. The last count was done between April 11 and May 2, 2015–which had counted 605 rhinos in Chitwan National Park, 29 in Bardia National Park, eight in Suklaphanta National Park and three in Parsa National Park. (SOURCE: MONGABAY )