CHITWAN: Chitwan National Park (CNP) has completed one year of zero poaching. Chief Conservation Officer at CNP, Bed Kumar Dhakal, said that CPN has been successful to celebrate zero poaching year with the support of all and that an arrangement has been made to patrol the area round the clock to prevent poaching.

A male rhino was killed by poachers at Dhubaghat of Belhatta Hariyali Community Forest of CNP on April 7, 2017. A plan to celebrate third year of zero poaching became unsuccessful last year after the rhino was killed 26 days before completion of the third year of zero poaching. Earlier to this, a rhino had been killed at CNP on April 22, 2014.

Dhakal added that a total of 50 permanent posts, 50 temporary posts and more than 20 mobile posts have been patrolling the CNP area on bicycles, motorcycles, four-wheelers, boats and elephants. The Nepal Army has been carrying out patrolling using real time patrolling technology. "As February to June is the ideal season for poachers, security has been beefed up.”

Most of the places at CNP and buffer zone are under surveillance and high-alertness has been adopted at more sensitive areas of CNP, said Battalion Chief of Batukdal Battalion, Samundra Thapa.

Similarly, Information Officer of CNP, Narendra Aryal, Buffer Zone Consumer's Committee, Poaching Control Youth Awareness Campaign and locals of buffer zone have been supporting the security of CNP.

As per statistics, the highest number of poaching cases was recorded in 2002. A total of 38 rhinos were killed that year. As per the latest census, there are 605 rhinos in CNP.