KATHMANDU, DECEMBER 19

Since November 8, Chitwan National Park (CNP) has apprehended 64 individuals for various offenses as part of its efforts to protect the park and its buffer zone.

According to CNP Information and Conservation Officer Avinash Thapamagar, the arrests were made during an operation aimed at curbing illegal activities within the park. Offenses included one arrest for tiger poaching, two for the domestication of boars, 30 for unauthorized entry, tree cutting, and fodder collection, 23 for fish poaching, one for killing a pigeon, and eight for vegetation harvesting.

Those involved in illegal activities or entering the park without permission were arrested and penalized accordingly. Officer Thapamagar emphasized the need for enhanced collaboration and coordination among relevant authorities to combat wildlife poaching and the illegal trade of wildlife.

Over the past month and a half, two rhinos and one tiger have been found dead in different areas of the park and its buffer zone. On November 22, a 31-year-old female rhino was found drowned in the Narayani River along the buffer zone.

On November 27, a 35-year-old rhino was discovered dead due to natural causes in the park, with its hooves and horns intact. On December 1, the carcass of a six-year-old tiger was found in Nawalpurghat, within the Nawalpur sector, believed to have died following a fight with another tiger.

During this period, two people were killed, and four others were injured in rhino attacks.