Nepal Celebrates Its SECOND Year Of Zero Rhino Poaching

Credit: WWF
Credit: WWF


Africa may be recovering from a record number of rhinos being poached, but the tiny land-locked country of Nepal is celebrating its second year with zero rhinos being killed.

Reportedly, it has been two consecutive years since a rhino was poached in Nepal. The last one was killed on May 2, 2014. At the same time, the country celebrates its 4th year of zero poaching of rhinos since 2011.

Shubash Lohani, deputy director of WWF’s Eastern Himalaya Ecoregion program, said in a press release:

 “It takes a whole country to achieve conservation success like zero poaching, and Nepal has just done that, one more time. This rare success gives us a hope for a better future for rhinos and WWF is proud to be a partner of the Nepali government and people in achieving this success.”

The conservation victory is credited to the effects of improved tracking technology of the creatures, rapid ranger response, and identifying poaching hot spots within national parks.

645 rhinos – the highest recorded number so far –are now living contentedly in Nepal thanks to  conservationists’ efforts.

Credit: worldwildlife.org
Credit: worldwildlife.org

Anil Manandhar, Country Representative of WWF Nepal, which supports the government’s rhino conservation activities, elatedly told the press:

“It is now 730 days since a poacher last killed a rhino in Nepal: a truly remarkable achievement by the government. Nepal has demonstrated real conservation leadership and an effective anti-poaching path that other countries can follow.”

Truly, a future without poaching is possible.

Conservationists are already planning to celebrate next year’s capstone of three years passing without any rhinos being killed. To ensure this milestone is met, the country has scaled up its work beyond anti-poaching to boost its rhino population.

“We are already looking to sustain this success by launching ‘Mission 2nd May 2017’ – the date when we hope to announce three consecutive years of zero poaching,” said Fanindra Raj Kharel, Director General of the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation. “In our effort to build effective conservation standards, zero poaching is a norm that pushes us to ensure Nepal’s iconic species are fully protected.”

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