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What Strategies Are Effective for Nepal's What strategies are effective for Nepal’s rhino conservation: a recent case study Esmond Martin PO Box 15510, Mbagathi, Nairobi, Kenya email: [email protected] Abstract The huge increase in rhino poaching from mid-1998 to mid-2000 in the Chitwan Valley of Nepal was due partly to the slackness and ineffective leadership of one of the chief wardens, and the lack of a full-time experienced and competent senior officer in the valley to supervise the anti-poaching activities. To the credit of the Parks Department, some officers realized what had gone wrong and compiled a report detailing park deficiencies. It was circulated to interested parties at the end of 1999 and early 2000. Unfortunately, by then at least 20 rhinos had been killed illegally in 1998 and 1999. Soon after this report was issued, a highly competent officer was appointed to supervise the anti-poaching activities, and later in the year an experienced and forceful chief warden was put into position. From mid-2000 to early February 2001 only one rhino was poached as far as is known. This incident highlights the importance of a single person or at most two in successful rhino protection. Résumé L’augmentation énorme du braconnage des rhinos entre le milieu de 1998 et le milieu de 2000 dans la Chitwan Valley, au Népal, était due en partie à la négligence et à l’inefficacité d’un des conservateurs en chef et aussi à l’absence d’un responsable expérimenté et compétent travaillant à plein temps dans la vallée pour superviser les activités anti-braconnage. On peut mettre au crédit du département des Parcs le fait que certains responsables ont identifié ce qui était en cause et rédigé un rapport détaillant toutes les déficiences du parc. Ce rapport a circulé chez toutes les parties concernées fin 1999 et début 2000. Malheureusement, à cette date, au moins 20 rhinos avaient déjà été illégalement tués en 1998 et 1999. Peu après la parution de ce rapport, on a nommé un responsable extrêmement compétent pour superviser les activités anti-braconnage et, plus tard dans la même année, un conservateur en chef expérimenté et énergique fut mis en place. Entre le milieu de 2000 et le début de février 2001, un seul rhino a été braconné à notre connaissance. Cet incident souligne l’importance que peuvent avoir une ou deux personnes seulement, dans la réussite de la conservation des rhinos. Introduction Royal Bardia National Park have remained secure. Reasons for this sudden increase in illegal killings Over the past three decades, the Department of Na- of rhinos in Royal Chitwan National Park are exam- tional Parks and Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC) in ined and recommendations are presented that could Nepal has implemented one of the most successful reduce the chances of another upsurge in poaching in programmes in the world for conserving rhinos (Mar- the future. tin and Vigne 1995). In 1968, there were an estimated The fieldwork for this project was carried out in a 95 greater one-horned rhinos in Nepal, but by 2000, three-week period in February 2001. when the most recent census was carried out, num- bers had increased to 612 (DNPWC 2000). However, Rhinos poached in the Chitwan from mid-1998 to mid-2000, Royal Chitwan National Valley, mid-1998 to mid-2000 Park and the surrounding areas, which harboured 89% of the country’s rhinos, experienced the worst poach- From 1994 to 1997 the average number of rhinos il- ing for any two-year period since the park was estab- legally killed each year in the Chitwan Valley (Royal lished in 1973. On the other hand, the rhinos in the Chitwan National Park and surrounding areas) was 42 Pachyderm No. 31 July–December 2001 under two a year (Martin 1998). However, poaching began to escalate in mid-1998. From July 1998 to Oc- tober 1999 at least 19 rhinos were poached in the valley and another 15 were illegally killed from November 1999 to August 2000 (see table 1). These poaching statistics are the minimum figures, as several addi- tional rhino carcasses were found too late to diagnose the cause of death. Several other sets of poaching data exist. For example, the figure given in the DNPWC annual reports of 1998/1999 and 1999/2000 for the period from July 1998 to October 1999 is 12 (Subba 2000, 2001). Tika Ram Adhikari, who is the team leader of the anti-poaching units in the This 3-month-old male rhino, attacked by a tiger 15 days before this Chitwan Valley and the acting chief picture was taken, is being hand reared at Royal Chitwan National warden of Parsa Wildlife Reserve, Park headquarters. believes, however, that there were 19. From November 1999 to July 2000 the figure given Using the statistics from the DNPWC annual re- in the annual report is 11; Adhikari’s count is 13, ports for 1998/1999 and 1999/2000 (Subba 2000, which is quite close to the official figure. From late 2001), we can determine that from mid-1998 to July 1999 to early 2001, the veterinarians, especially 2000, 55% of the rhinos poached were outside the Jacques Flamand of the Wildlife and Domestic Vet- park. From mid-1999 to July 2000, however, the per- erinary Programme of Royal Chitwan National Park, centage of rhinos poached outside the park rose to have examined most of the rhino carcasses in and 65. This is significant when we analyse the causes of around the park. Judging from the autopsies they per- poaching, because the government organizations re- formed, they believe that from November 1999 to sponsible for patrolling inside the park are different August 2000 at least 15 rhinos were illegally killed from those patrolling outside it. (Flamand 2000), which tallies with Adhikari’s counts. Poaching methods in the Table 1. Minimum number of rhinos poached in the Chitwan Valley, Chitwan Valley mid-July 1998 to early 2001 Poachers in the Chitwan Valley use Time period Number illegally killed six main methods to kill rhinos: shoot- July 1998 to October 1999 19 ing with firearms, pit trapping, spear- November 1999 to August 2000 15 ing, snaring, poisoning and electrocut- September 2000 to early February 2001 1 ing. Total 35 During 1999 and 2000, the most 1998 and 1999 20 common method was with firearms, 2000 15 usually musket or rifle. Some of these Total 35 arms are locally made, others factory- produced. Generally the gangs, which Source: Tika Ram Adhikari, acting chief warden, Parsa Wildlife Reserve number two to five men armed with and team leader for the anti-poaching units in the Chitwan Valley (data collected for 1998 and 1999), and Jacques Flamand, Zoological Society of three guns, are from outside the park. London, senior veterinary adviser in Chitwan (data collected for 2000 and One or two local people from the buffer early 2001) zone are recruited as they are familiar Pachyderm No. 31 July–December 2001 43 with the topography of the park and the surrounding from infection, and by that time, the army or park zone. Park staff believe that some former army person- authorities may have discovered the carcass. nel have recently been hired by the gangs, and one sol- Poisoning has become common. In 1999 more than dier retired from the Indian army is involved in the ac- nine rhinos were poisoned in the Chitwan Valley. The tual shooting. The poaching gangs usually enter the poisons used are chlorinated hydrocarbons of the DDT northern park boundary (where most of the rhinos are family, widely used in southern Nepal for crop spray- located) or the surrounding areas in the evenings when ing (Jacques Flamand, pers. comm. 2001). The poisons the army is not patrolling, and they depart at night or specifically used for rhinos are put into oranges and early in the morning, when they are least likely to be pumpkins on the edge of Chitwan Park; they take on detected. average from three to eight hours to kill the animals. The gang size for pit trapping is large, as people are Villagers in southern Nepal have been stringing needed to construct the big rectangular pits and to cover wire cables (usually two) about one metre above the them with sticks and other vegetation for camouflage; ground and connecting them to the village power sup- some of these gangs may number up to 15. ply to electrocute bears, deer and wild boars. Occa- Spearing is rather ineffective because often the sionally rhinos run into the wires. This accidental kill- animal does not die immediately and the authorities ing of rhinos by electrocution started in 1997 in find the carcass before the hunters have had a chance Nawalparasi District, and since then at least four rhi- to remove the horn, hooves and other body parts. For nos have been killed in this way. example, in 1999 one adult male rhino was speared inside the Baghmara Community Forest close to the The trade in rhino products park, but the wounded animal left the forest and wan- dered into the elephant breeding centre near the tour- When a rhino is illegally killed in the Chitwan Val- ist centre of Sauraha, preventing the hunters from tak- ley, it is usually organized by a trader, who wants the ing the valuable horn. animal primarily for its horn. Sometimes the hooves Another method for killing rhinos, which is also and occasionally pieces of skin are also removed. But not very efficient, is snaring. Most of the snares are by far the most valuable part of the rhino is the horn. put down for deer, but they are occasionally set for In 2000 a poaching gang in the Chitwan Valley might rhinos as well.
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