CHITWAN, July 6: Three people have been arrested for electrocuting two rhinos. The two rhinos were killed by electrocution on the banks of the Narayani River in Sitapur, Madhyabindu Municipality-2, Nawalpur on January 20. The three people who were arrested by the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of Nepal Police on May 26 on the charge of killing the rhinos were made public by the Chitwan National Park Office, Kasara, on Wednesday.
The arrestees - Krishna Bahadur Mahato, Sikharam Tharu and Hom Bahadur BK of Ramgram Municipality-18, Nawalparasi -were made public by the police. Among the three, Mahato is allegedly involved in killing rhinos and smuggling their body parts. Dil Bahadur Purja Pun, the chief conservation officer of the Chitwan National Park (CNP), said that there are two other persons involved in killing rhinos along with them.
Sikharam Tharu and Hom Bahadur BK are allegedly involved in the smuggling of rhino horns. Pun said that the CIB arrested them based on the information that they were about to reach a deal on the sale of rhino horns at the home of Hom Bahadur BK. The CIB had initially handed them over to the Division Forest Office, Nawalparasi.
Chief Conservation Officer Pun said that the forest office's investigation confirmed that the horn that was found in their possession belonged to a rhino killed inside the Chitwan National Park.
According to the instructions of the Nawalparasi District Public Prosecutor's Office, the case was transferred to the Chitwan National Park on June 13.
Two rhinos were electrocuted on the morning of January 20, at Krantighat, Sitapur, Madhyabindu Municipality-2 of Nawalpur, 300 meters south of the Narayani River. The horn of a 14-year-old female rhinoceros was also chopped. A half-year-old male rhino was also electrocuted. He said that Krishna Bahadur Mahato had not been confirmed to be involved in rhinoceros poaching before.
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Mahato used electric wires from Siddeshwar Temple and banding wires used in building houses to install electric ambushes to kill rhinoceros. “While working as a laborer at a house, I saw a rhinoceros coming to that area,” he said, “I pulled the wire from the temple and installed an electric ambush to kill the rhinoceros.”
Krishna Bahadur has said in a statement that he planned to kill the rhinos and remove their horns after watching YouTube videos. “ I knew that a lot of money is earned after selling rhinoceros’ horns from YouTube and Tiktok. When I came to visit my relatives, I saw that the rhinoceros was moving around the village and the national park, and then I planned to kill it,” he has said in his statement.
A charge-sheet was submitted to the District Court Nawalparasi (East of Bardaghat, Susta) Kawasoti on Wednesday, saying that they had committed the offense prohibited by Section 5 (1) of the National Parks and Wildlife Protection Act 2029.
If this offense is proven by the court, the fine will be up to Rs 500,000 and Rs 1,000,000 and imprisonment of 10 to 15 years. The Chitwan National Park had celebrated a rare one-horned rhino zero poaching year for three consecutive years since mid-April, 2017.
According to the official figures of the park administration, eight rhinos have been killed by smugglers in three years, but the number of rhinos is 28 whose cause of death has not been disclosed. Four rhinos in the financial year 2077/78 BS, two in the last year and two in the current year have been targeted by poachers. People involved in rhino horn smuggling have been using poachers to kill rhinos by showing various lures.
After 2063 BS, the first incident of electrocution to kill a rhinoceros for smuggling of horn was reported on the banks of the Narayani River in Madhyabindu Municipality-2.
In 2063 BS, a rhinoceros was electrocuted by a poacher in Jagatpur, near the park's main office, according to the official data. In the previous financial year, two rhinos were killed in the Madi area. According to the park's sources, the poachers killed the rhinoceros using spears.
The rhinos keep moving to the settlement areas around the park and they are killed using electric ambushes. Last October 8, a rhino was electrocuted in a settlement near Kumroj Community Central Forest.
A rhino was electrocuted on December 13 at Narayani River bank in Bharatpur Metropolitan City-27, but it is said that the rhino was electrocuted by locals and not by poachers controlled by smugglers.
The horns of all these rhinos were safe. In a period of eight years, 10 rhinos have been killed due to electrocution. Since 2055 BS, the Chitwan National Park has celebrated zero poaching for five years.
In the years 2071/072, 2072/073, 2074/075, 2075/076, 2076/077, no rhino was killed by poachers. As many as 181 rhinos have been killed by poachers in 24 years. Ananath Baral, former Chief Conservation Officer of Chitwan National Park, believes that since the number of fugitives has increased in recent years, they are active in the illegal business.
According to the official data of the park, 150 accused are still absconding. Ramkumar Praja, Bam Bahadur Praja, Nar Bahadur Kumal, who were released after serving their prison sentences, were engaged in rhino smuggling again.
“Many defendants in the theft-hunting case are absconding. Even after being released from jail, many started poaching and hunting again,” said Ganesh Tiwari, information officer of the Chitwan National Park. Nepal Army and Park Administration is in charge of park security.
Since 2072 BS till now, 204 rhinos have died around Chitwan National Park. Among them, 60 died due to old age. Similarly, 19 rhinoceros died due to drowning in swamps, 49 due to fighting among themselves, 16 due to tiger attacks, nine due to possible poaching, 10 due to electric shocks, 10 due to illness, three due to falling into pits, five due to poisoning and 28 due to unknown reasons.
However, tThe number of rhinos in the park has been increasing. As of the year 2021, there were 694 rhinos in Chitwan National Park alone out of the 752 rhinos across the country.
