An important part of our rhino conservation work is translocations - moving rhinos to different locations. This can be to establish new populations where rhinos used to roam; move them to less threatened habitats or to areas better protected from poachers; or to boost existing small populations. In the case of Nepal, we're helping translocate rhinos to create a second viable population. Thanks to successful efforts to clamp down on poaching and protect habitats, rhino numbers here are now higher than they’ve been for decades.
Over 600 of Nepal's 645 greater one-horned rhinos live in Chitwan National Park, a World Heritage Site in the lowlands of southern Nepal. That leaves the population vulnerable. And Chitwan National Park can support only a limited number of rhinos - its rhino population has increased by two-thirds since the 1980s.
Moving rhinos from Chitwan into new areas of suitable habitat is the best way to increase their overall population, promote genetic diversity, minimise the risks associated with disease outbreaks and mitigate human-wildlife conflict. The process is known as translocation, and it’s something we’ve done successfully with rhinos in the past.
Our plan is to create a second viable population of rhinos in the western Terai Arc Landscape, in Bardia National Park and Suklaphanta Wildlife Reserve. We aim to introduce 30 rhinos from Chitwan by 2018.
The first five translocations took place in March 2016. And there was even better news when, two months later, one of them gave birth to a calf. It’s a symbol of hope as we work towards our long-term goal of increasing Nepal’s rhino population to its historical level of 800.