National
Preparations on to translocate 10 more rhinos to Bardiya
With a successful translocation of five rhinos in Bardiya National Park (BNP) from Chitwan in March, preparation is on to shift 10 more rhinos to the park.Kamal Panthi
With a successful translocation of five rhinos in Bardiya National Park (BNP) from Chitwan in March, preparation is on to shift 10 more rhinos to the park.
Chief Conservation Officer at the BNP Ramesh Kumar Thapa said preparations were underway to translocate at least 10 more rhinos from Chitwan National Park (CNP).
“Before translocation of the rhinos planned for mid-March, we plan to bring
25 swamp deer from Shuklaphanta Wildlife Reserve and 25 wild buffaloes from Koshitappu Wildlife Reserve,” he said.
A rhino which was translocated to the BNP from the CNP gave birth to a healthy male calf in May.
According to Thapa, four of the translocated rhinos, including the calf, are in the Sodhkhola and two others are in Chepang area of the Babai Valley. The park authority has collared these rhinos with GPS devices.
The Babai Valley of the BNP has proven to be a suitable habitat for rhinos. As per the record available at the BNP, there are 36 rhinos in the park. Twenty-nine rhinos are in Geruwa area while six are in the Babai Valley.
The Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation had translocated the rhinos with an aim to protect the endangered species and increase their number in potential habitats nationwide. The DNPWC plans to move 30 rhinos to different habitats by 2018.
Thirteen rhinos were brought to the BNP from Chitwan in 1986. By 2003, a total of 87 rhinos had been translocated to the BNP and Shuklaphanta Wildlife Reserve in the country.