04 May, Chitwan : A total of 220 rhinos died in Chitwan National Park (CNP) and its vicinity in eight years.
The CNP shared that among the casualties, 64 rhinos died of aging and falling off cliffs; and 19 died in morass and floods. Information officer at CNP, Ganesh Prasad Tiwari, informed that 51 pachyderms died while fighting each other. Similarly, 20 rhinos were killed in tiger attacks, nine in poaching, eight in electric shock, and 12 in illness. Three pachyderms died being trapped in the trench, five by consuming toxic things, while the reason behind the death of 29 rhinos is not ascertained yet.
The information further said in the last eight years, 100 male and 76 female rhinos died, while the number of rhinos of unidentified sex stood at 44 in this period.
Comparatively, since fiscal year-2072/73, the highest number of death, 43, was recorded in fiscal year-2075/76. Similarly, 14 rhinoceroses- the lowest in eight years- died in fiscal year-2072/73.
The CNP has been running various programs to manage grazing land and conserve water for rhinos.
