300 in Chitwan, 100 in Nawalpur, own estimate
1000, based on Forest Dept. estimate
It is encouraging to note that there is a special Rhino Protection Officer with the rank of Captain, and under him a staff of 152 consisting of 1 Asstt. (Lieutenant), 4 Subehdars, 24 Havildars, 122 Forest Guards. There are 60 chowkis, 45 in the Chitawan area and 15 in the Nawalpur area, each manned by 2 Forest Guards and it was encouraging to note that on the only road or track in the area lorries are not permitted to travel at night. But the provision of only one elephant to the Rhino Protection Officer for movement in very difficult country seems totally inadequate.
In spite of this comparatively large protection force, poaching is said to be rampant and every year 20 to 30 rhino carcasses are found with their horns missing. (While I was in Nepal a skirmish had taken place between a gang of poachers who had been isolated on a hill and surrounded, but not before 4 rhinos had been killed, one with 12 bullets, though no horns could be removed.) There appears to be a regular trade in rhino horns and the hill-men who are supposed to be the poachers in question come down regularly to slaughter the precious animal under the very noses of the protection staff. The market for rhino horns is China and it is stated that some V.I.Ps. from that country purchased a large quantity of horns at a very high price on their recent visit to Nepal. The fact that permission was sought to export 109 rhino skins from Nepal, as reported by the Secretary-General of the Indian Board for Wild Life recently, is an indication of the rate of destruction.
they are shot ca. 6-8 in the royal shoots and 20-40 by poachers annually.
Map
map of Chitwan showing rhino areas.
It consists of the valley of the Rapti River west of Hetaura after that river has turned westwards, and it is bounded on the north by the Mahabarata Mountains, on the south by the Churia or Siwalik Ranges, on the west by the Naraini River and on the east by the Ramuli River. The whole area is a big dn or valley between the outer Siwaliks or Churia range and the inner Mahabarata or Himalayas. The Siwaliks or Churia range on the south consists of a double line of hills with the Reu River, the chief tributary of the Rapti, between them. Smythies describes the fanious shooting preserve as being roughly pear-shaped, 4 or 5 miles broad at the eastern end at Hetaura, widening to 25 miles or more at the western end, and covering in all nearly 1000 square miles. He was writing in 1942.
The effective rhino area today is approximately 200 square miles north of the Churia ranges, with another 200 square miles to the south of these hills - a strip 4 miles wide and 50 miles long - from Bhiknathori on the east to Tribeni, the junction-point of the Rapti and Naraini rivers, on the west. The habitat consists partly of tree-forest both sal and miscellaneous deciduous, and partly of grassland both low-lying and swampy, interspersed with cultivation, the best area being to the north of the Churia ranges from Jhowani to Bharatpur. West of the Naraini, in what is known as the Nawalpur area, there is another 100 square miles which contains rhino. Thus there are some 500 square miles gross, 400 to the east of the Naraini and 100 to the west of that river, which together form the main home of the Nepal rhino. There are said to be a few rhinos scattered in the Kosi area to the east.
400-600 in Chitawan area, 100 in Nawalpur area, total 500-600, own observation.
