Kathmandu : The census of the rare one-horned rhinoceros, which was postponed last year due to budgetary constraints, is scheduled to be conducted next month in Chaitra. Preparations are underway to initiate the enumeration process immediately after the completion of the House of Representatives elections.
This year, authorities plan to adopt a more cost-effective and time-efficient methodology, utilizing genetic (DNA-based) techniques or individual identification (ID-based) systems. The Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, which traditionally conducts the rhino census at four-year intervals, had suspended the exercise last year owing to financial limitations.
According to Senior Ecologist Hari Bhadra Acharya, previous censuses were conducted by dividing habitats into designated blocks and mobilizing a substantial number of elephants along with trained personnel to carry out simultaneous counts. As this approach required considerable time and financial resources, the department has decided to implement an alternative method this year.
Acharya stated that approximately NPR 30 million was expended during the 2021 rhino census. In the previous fiscal year, the planned census was halted at the final stage after donors indicated their inability to provide the necessary financial support.
For the current year, the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation has allocated a portion of its program budget to ensure the census is conducted as scheduled. During the 2021 census, a total of 752 rhinos were recorded across national parks and conservation areas nationwide.
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