July 20: During the most recent fiscal year 2021–2022, a total of 37 rhinos have passed away in the Chitwan National Park (CNP) and its surrounding area.
The CNP claims that two of the deaths were caused by poaching and the other two were due to natural reasons.
The horn and hooves of one of the two rhinos slain in poaching, according to CNP Information Officer Ganesh Prasad Timalsina, were intact, whereas those of the second rhino had been stolen by poachers.
According to Timalsina, 18 were male, 14 female and the gender of five could not be ascertained. Most of the rhinos died due to old age, getting stuck in swamp, tiger attacks and falling in ditches among others.
Altogether 33 rhinos had died in 2020/21 while 44 in 2019/20, according to the CNP.
Depletion of those grasslands had also contributed to the declining number of rhinos in the CNP.
A total of 752 rhinos were recorded in Nepal in 2021. CNP is home to 694 of them.
