A third country has announced some good news for rhinos this year. Populations of the endangered one-horned rhinoceros in Nepal have increased by 16% over the past six years.
The new National Rhino Count 2021 estimates the current number stands at 752 individuals up from 645 in 2015. Rhinos were counted across the country between March 22 and April 10, including within four national parks, including Chitwan.
In the 1960s there were only around 100 left in the country.
The Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation used 57 elephants in their search for rhinos, along with 350 trained personnel who swept the jungle areas to document a species headcount.
During the process, they also collected data on habitat conditions, invasive species in the area, and human activities in the region.
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“The overall growth in population size is indicative of ongoing protection and habitat management efforts by protected area authorities, despite challenging contexts these past years,” said Ghana Gurung, Country Representative of WWF Nepal.
“This achievement is yet another milestone in Nepal’s conservation journey.”
Meanwhile, in Africa, 2020 was a remarkable year for rhino protection in Kenya where not one single rhino lost its horn or its life last year—a feat not achieved since 1999.
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And in South Africa, which contains 80% of all African rhinos, 2020 was the sixth consecutive year that rhino poaching incidents dropped in the massive Kruger National Park. Since 2017, deaths have plummeted by 60%.
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