नेपाल सम्वत् ११४५ चिल्लाथ्वः १५ ( १ चैत्र, २०८१) मार्च १४, २०२५ ,शुक्रबार, बाँपीझ्याला । The rhino census, which is typically conducted every five years, has been suspended this year due to a shortage of funds. Ram Chandra Kandel, Director General of the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, stated that the census has historically relied on donor support, but insufficient funding has forced its suspension this year. The government has not allocated a budget for regular rhino population tracking, leaving the department to rely on manual observations and signals from individual rhinos to estimate their status.
Despite the suspension, Kandel emphasized that the department will mobilize all available human resources within the parks to monitor rhino populations. While an exact count may not be possible, the status of rhinos will be assessed through manual observations. The department has previously conducted rhino censuses in collaboration with donor agencies, but this year’s financial constraints have disrupted the process.
One-horned rhinos are found in Chitwan, Parsa, Bardiya, and Shukla Phanta National Parks. The latest census, conducted in 2021, recorded a total of 752 rhinos across Nepal, with Chitwan National Park hosting the highest number at 694, followed by Bardiya (38), Shukla Phanta (18), and Parsa (3). Historically, rhino populations have fluctuated significantly, from 800 in 1950 to a low of 100 in 1965, before recovering to 645 in 2015.
The suspension of the census highlights the challenges of wildlife conservation in Nepal, particularly the reliance on external funding. Without regular and accurate population data, conservation efforts may face setbacks, making it crucial for the government and international donors to prioritize funding for such initiatives to protect Nepal’s iconic one-horned rhinos.
