Himal Press 
Photo: RSS
KATHMANDU: Although wild animal translocation has been failing to yield the desired results, two rhinoceros have been sent from Chitwan National Park (CNP) to Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve as part of the rhino habitat expansion plan.
Two rhinos – named as Anjali and Pushpa – left for Koshi Tappu from CNP on Tuesday. Chief Conservation Officer of Chitwan National Park Dil Bahadur Purja along with a team of veterinarians have accompanied the rhinoceros to Koshi Tappu in the easternmost Koshi Province.
The two rhinos were rescued by conservation officers after they got separated from their mothers and were raised at the Sauraha-based office of the National Trust for Nature Conservation (NTNC). They were released into the wild at the Lamital area of Chitwan National Park earlier in May.
The wildlife translocation plan, however, has failed to deliver success in Nepal. The government has translocated more than 100 rhinos to Bardiya National Park from Chitwan so far. But the latest count showed there are only 38 rhinoceros in Baridya. Similarly, 14 rhinoceros have been translocated to Shuklaphanta National Park. The number has now grown to 17.
Plans to expand wild water buffalo (Arna) and swamp deer population in Chitwan National Park too have failed. Although 15 Arnas were translocated to Chitwan National Park, 12 from Koshi Tappu and three from Central Zoo, none survived. Likewise, for swamp deer brought from Shuklaphant also couldn’t survive in Chitwan.
