by Shristi Kafle
CHITWAN, Nepal, Jan 1. (Xinhua) -- The Chitwan National Park, the first of its kind in Nepal and located less than 200 km away from the capital, is a hugely popular tourist attraction and home to the majority of rhinoceroses in the Himalayan country.
The Nepalese government has been praised for eradicating the poaching of rhinos for two straight years, although last September a rhino tragically died after being shot multiple times by a poacher.
Due to the strong monitoring of the rhinos utilizing modern technology in ongoing conservation operations however, the numbers of the endangered rhinos have been growing in the region in recent times.
This is partly due to sick and injured rhinos receiving superlative care in carefully controlled shelters from the park's authorities.
A testament to the authority's efforts is the story of five-month old baby rhino who was rescued after being injured and is currently being cared for by humans. The young male rhino lives inside an open air enclosure inside the National Trust for Nature Conservation (NTNC), which is located near the National Park, and is allowed to roam freely as it is being rehabilitated.
Dr. Chiranjivi Prasad Pokharel, project coordinator at the NTNC in Chitwan told Xinhua, "The baby rhino was rescued by a team of National Park authorities from a place called Mayure Island, located in the west of the park. He was found both abandoned and injured. We rescued him and have been providing him with the necessary care since then."
Following a course of medical diagnosis and treatment, it was discovered that the rhino was attacked by crocodile. But owing to his human caretakers, the young rhino's health is improving and is expected to continue to do so under regular medical supervision.
The officer said that the baby rhino was named "Mayure" as that was the name of the place from where he was rescued. A dedicated caretaker has been assigned by the NTNC to take care of Mayure, who is seemingly loving his new human family.
The baby rhino happily plays with the caretaker and understands his general gestures while roaming in the grassy enclosure.
"We provide him with milk in the morning whereas cornflakes and fruits are fed to him in the afternoon. He is especially fond of bananas. As with human babies, we feed him with milk again in the evenings," Binod Darai, Technical Officer and caretaker of Mayure told Xinhua.
Darai reaches the rhino shelter early in the morning and spends his whole day around this unique creature. He said that the rhino has acclimated well to his new surroundings and all the human contact and attention he is receiving there.
At a time of public concern that human encroachment on wildlife settlements are putting humans at risk of dangerous encounters, Darai and Mayure's special bond has softened the hearts of some of those who have voiced concern.
Darai told Xinhua, "I have a wonderful relationship with him. He is motherless so I feel very happy to be able to take care of him as his surrogate parent. He is very accepting of me."
The authorities have rescued and taken care of similar injured wildlife in recent days as well, with the animals being kept under the monitoring of technicians and veterinarians before being released back into their controlled habitats when they have recovered.
"We are trying to build a new natural structure in a surrounding to let Mayure adjust to a new environment," Coordinator Pokharel told Xinhua. For some time, we will try to keep him away from human contact and interaction. We are expecting him to be wild again soon."
Rhinos are killed by poachers for their body parts and skin, especially for their horns, which are worth thousands of dollars on the black market. To combat this, Chitwan National Park has adopted a four-layer security strategy based on scientific methods to control such wildlife crime.
Kamal Jung Kunwar, former Chief Warden at the Chitwan National Park told Xinhua, "Protecting rhinos means not only protecting wildlife, but also protecting the community. They are inter-linked. It is a good thing that rhino conservation has always been made a first priority in this park by the government."
He further said that rhinos are a major attraction in Chitwan, that used to welcome around 200,000 tourists annually before the devastating earthquake of 2015.
According to the World Wildlife Fund, Nepal achieved its first 365 days of zero poaching for rhinos in 2011. In 2014, it did not lose a single rhino, tiger or elephant over a 365 day period.
