Unhealthy trend:

Gifting of rhinos to other countries is sad news particularly for the conservationists. This is an example of bad governance. The rhino is an endangered species and is listed in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Spices (CITES). The CITES allows their export only for scientific investigation and that too only in case of some serious danger to wildlife population. The government should clarify and be answerable for the decision of gifting a pair of rhinos to Austria. This act may make Nepal liable for sanctions under the CITES for failing to comply with its provision. The Trade Record Analysis of Flora and Fauna In Commerce (TRAFFIC) also prohibits both legal and illegal trade in endangered species. Instead of sending our endangered animals abroad, the state should focus on preserving them and check poaching.

Dinesh Neupane, via e-mail

Monopoly:

This refers to the news ‘National Park Ordinance dubious’ published in THT on March 18. I agree that the government is encouraging monopolisation of natural resources by opening up national parks for privatisation. It seems that naturalists do not make the decision. The greatest need in conservation is a cadre of ‘transitional scientists’ who can aid the conservation policy. It also seems that business interests dominate the decision. The other issue is that the only organisation established by an Act is the KMTNC, which has been

the target of the Maoists for a long time.

Pratima Shrestha, via e-mail

Scare:

The sales of chicken and poultry products have fallen drastically in Nepal even when there has been no reported case of bird flu here. The poultry business is at its lowest, hitting the businessmen hard. The reports that cases of bird flu were found in India have scared people further. The media hype about bird flu has done greater damage. Even efforts to encourage people to consume chicken publicly in the Valley did not help much. The public should know that well-cooked chicken and hard-boiled eggs are harmless. Awareness programmes, like the one conducted at Baneshwor recently where thousands participated, is the only solution to the problem. The government must launch such drives in other parts of the country too.

Prem, via e-mail

Blunder:

I would like to point out some mistakes in the news “India to supply 50 MW power by April” published in THT on March 15. Firstly, instead of ‘transmission’ line you have written ‘transmitter’ line of Purniya Kataiya. Secondly, the total capacity of the Kulekhani project was wrongly put at 12 MW. Its actual capacity is far more than reported. The installed capacity of Kulekhani-1 power station is around 60 MW and that of the Kulekhani-II is 32 MW. It is a disgrace for the country’s ‘No 1 English daily’ to have overlooked such important facts.

Anju Thapa, via e-mail

Good work:

Alankar Khanal’s Midway titled “My first love” (THT, March 20) was a good piece. It reminded me of our great Nepali and Newari delicacies.

Bibhuti Shrestha, via e-mail