In a joint operation by Nepalese authorities National Trust for Nature Conservation, the two rhinos released into Nepalese wildlife reserve Chitwan National Park are thriving.
The Plight of the Asian Rhino
Greater one-horned rhinos, native to the Indian subcontinent, have been in danger for several years. The species has declined due to poaching, habitat loss, and the threat of apex predators such as tigers in the area. Chitwan National Park has hundreds of these rhinos listed as vulnerable species.
Chitwan National Park is one of Nepal’s dozens of protected areas, making concerted efforts alongside NGOs to conserve and protect the species. The effort to prevent poaching is working, as in 2021, the Zoological Society of London reported the highest numbers of greater one-horned rhinos since the 1960s.
As part of this continued effort, recently, two rhino calves saved from the brink of death have been released back into the wild in Chitwan National Park.
Rhinos Released into Nepalese Wildlife Reserve
The rhinos, named Pushpa and Anjali, were released back into the wild in the Kasara area of Chitwan National Park on May 14 of this year. They had been raised by the National Trust for Nature Conservation, a nonprofit organization that works with the government to conserve and protect wildlife and natural resources.
Pushpa was rescued in 2020 and Anjali in 2021, with evidence indicating that their mothers had abandoned them at two months of age. The decision to release the rhinos back into the wild is one of two other options that they were mulling over.
One is part of Nepal’s “rhino diplomacy,” which gives rhinos to zoos in foreign countries. The other option was to keep the rhinos in captivity. However, they decided that release into the wild was the best option, giving the rhinos an opportunity to adapt to their natural habitat and reintegrate with other rhinos in the park.
Maheshwar Dhakal, Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation’s director-general, said, “The whole exercise was low-key and low-cost. We wanted to send a message that rewilding doesn’t have to be expensive to be successful.”
Challenges Present Themselves
Despite the benefits, however, it will be an uphill battle for the rhinos in Nepal. Rhino relocations have a checkered history, as the relocation of rhinos from Chitwan to nearby Bardiya National Park hasn’t gone so well.
Between 1986 to 2003, 87 rhinos were moved, and a further eight more from March 2016 and April 2017. But of the 95 moved, only 38 survived. Many were killed by poachers or by farmers retaliating from crop damage.
The challenges are real and present; however, rhino conservation is incredibly important as they represent some of the world’s most fascinating and interesting wildlife.
Conservation in this area is moving forward with support from the government, and going into the future there is reason to believe that the benefits will outweigh the downsides in the short term.
