Nawalpur (Nawalparasi), Dec 18: Since November 8, Chitwan National Park (CNP) has apprehended 64 individuals for various offenses as part of its efforts to protect the park and its buffer zone.
According to CNP Information and Conservation Officer Avinash Thapamagar, the arrests were made during an operation to control illegal activities within the park. The offenses included one arrest for tiger poaching, two for domestication of boars, 30 for unauthorized entry into the park, tree cutting, and fodder collection, 23 for killing fish, one for killing a pigeon, and eight for harvesting vegetation.
It is said that those involved in illegal activities or entering the park without permission were arrested and punished accordingly. He also stressed the need for greater collaboration and coordination among relevant authorities to curb wildlife poaching and illegal trade.
In the past month and a half, two rhinos and one tiger were found dead in different areas of the park and its buffer zone. On November 22, a 31-year-old female rhino was found drowned in the Narayani River along the buffer zone. On November 27, a 35-year-old rhino was found dead due to natural causes in the park area, with its hooves and horns intact.
On December 1, the carcass of a six-year-old tiger was discovered in Nawalpurghat, within the Nawalpur sector. It is believed the tiger died after a fight with another tiger. During this period, two people were killed and four others were injured in attacks by rhinos.
