Carrying Capacity of Chitwan National Park Getting Smaller

According to expert in nature conservation the habitat of wild animals in Chitwan National Park the habitat area of wild life in the park has been decreasing by 50 percent every year. The grassland, water hole, lakes and food of near extinct one horn rhino has been destroyed in average of 2 percent annually. Beside human encroachment wide spread of foreign grass has covered the favourite grass of the rhino. The actual habitat of the rhino is only 25 percent of the total area of 952.63 square kilometer of the park.  If this trend continues the population of one horn rhino would decreased to about 400. According to 2015 count there was 506 one horn rhino in Chitwan National Park.  The park management has been successful to curb clandestine poaching of rhino for its horn but their habitat has been encroached persistently. Because of this there has been constant news of rhino blatantly roaming around nearby villages and cities in the vicinity of Park.

Chitwan is the second national park that has maximum number of rhino in the world; first one is Khajirunja national park in India.  For the first time experts are now set to determine the carrying capacity of wild animals in the 12 parks,  starting first at Chitwan National Park. WWF Nepal has provided financial support for the study.  Though the count is taken every five years but it has become necessary to count early to find out it actual number to figure out other related information which is important for the conservation of rhino. (source: Kantipur News)