Kathmandu, January 10:

The unabated rhino poaching is making headlines, but the acting secretary at the Ministry of Forest and Soil Conservation, Udaya Raj Sharma, says the poaching is not “a big issue.”

He urged the government to provide two billion rupees to curb poaching.

“We don’t want to see even one rhino killed,” he said, addressing a meeting of conservation experts here today, adding: “Going by previous records, we cannot take the rhino-poaching as a big issue. The number of rhinos killed in the past several months is not that big.”

According to data provided by him, 13 rhinos were killed in Chitwan National Park, four died in Bardiya National Park and two died in the Shukla Phanta Wildlife Reserve Area in the fiscal year 2063/64.

Meanwhile, NEFEJ today released a study report on rhino poaching. According to the report, the poachers have so far killed 12 rhinos in Chitwan and 68 rhinos in Bardiya since June last year.