Newborn rhino heralds Nepal’s rhino translocation success
Posted on May, 26 2016
Babai Valley in Nepal’s Bardia National Park welcomed its youngest one-horned rhino on 22 May 2016.
Babai Valley in Nepal’s Bardia National Park welcomed its youngest one-horned rhino on 22 May 2016. The male calf was born to an adult female rhino that was translocated from Chitwan National Park to Bardia National Park on 3 March 2016. The then pregnant female was one of the five rhinos that were moved to Bardia on 1-5 march 2016 with the aim of creating a second viable population in the western complex of Nepal’s Terai Arc Complex comprising Bardia National Park and Shuklaphanta Wildlife Reserve.
Anil Manandhar, Country Representative of WWF Nepal said: “The newborn rhino is a signal of hope and an inspiration for Nepal’s rhino conservation efforts. It is encouraging to see all the five translocated rhinos and the newborn adapt well in their new home in Babai Valley, which once lost its entire rhino population to poaching. By building on the legacy of conservation partnerships with the government agencies, conservation agencies and local communities, Nepal could well be on its way to build a secure future for this iconic species.”
Nepal’s rhino translocation efforts will continue till 2018 by the end of which 30 rhinos will have been translocated from Chitwan National Park to Bardia National Park and Shuklaphanta Wildlife Reserve. With rhino numbers at an all-time high of 645 in Nepal, the translocations will be a major boost to bringing back rhino numbers to its historical size of 800.
Related Link: “Rhinos on the Move” - A short video on Nepal’s rhino translocation expedition of 1-5 March 2016.
Anil Manandhar, Country Representative of WWF Nepal said: “The newborn rhino is a signal of hope and an inspiration for Nepal’s rhino conservation efforts. It is encouraging to see all the five translocated rhinos and the newborn adapt well in their new home in Babai Valley, which once lost its entire rhino population to poaching. By building on the legacy of conservation partnerships with the government agencies, conservation agencies and local communities, Nepal could well be on its way to build a secure future for this iconic species.”
Nepal’s rhino translocation efforts will continue till 2018 by the end of which 30 rhinos will have been translocated from Chitwan National Park to Bardia National Park and Shuklaphanta Wildlife Reserve. With rhino numbers at an all-time high of 645 in Nepal, the translocations will be a major boost to bringing back rhino numbers to its historical size of 800.
Related Link: “Rhinos on the Move” - A short video on Nepal’s rhino translocation expedition of 1-5 March 2016.