Apex court instructs government to save rhinos

The Supreme Court (SC), on Sunday, instructed the government to provide adequate security in Chitwan National Park to check the growing incidents of poaching that has further jeopardized the already endangered species of one-horned rhinos.

The bench comprising judges Tapa Bahadur Magar and Pawan Kumar Ojha gave that order to the government.

According to estimates by various conservation NGOs, the number of Rhinoceros Unicornis has dropped by 31 percent in last five years. If this situation continues, rhinos could become extinct within ten years.

The government had reduced number of check posts within the park from 36 to 8 due to growing insecurity caused by Maoist insurgency. The apex court has asked the government to increase the number of check posts to the same level if possible.

The one-horned rhinos are prime attractions of the Chitwan National Park. Poachers kill it for its horn, which fetch high amount money in international market. nepalnews.com sd Dec 04 06