A nexus found in the most pressing rhino poaching issue

Former airline pilot Ramesh Chandra Pokharel Tuesday confessed that nine one-horned rhinos were shot dead in his leadership in Chitwan National Park (CNP) and surrounding forests with the bullets provided by Jamadar Madhav Bahadur Budhathoki, working in the Jungle Warfare Army School at Amlekhgunj.

Rhino poaching is the most pressing issue facing Nepal 's wildlife in recent months. Series of rhino poaching in Chitawan National Park areas is being a big threat for national park and the people involving in wild life conservation.

The arrest of the former pilot Pokhrel and investigate over him has revealed that a big nexus including Nepal Army personnel and sophisticated individuals was active in the poaching of endangered rhino and smuggling of its horn.

Chitawan National Park has sent eight alleged criminals to jail on Tueaday that include former pilot Pokharel, army man Budhathoki, Hari Bahadur Bishwokarma, Tasi Gurung of Thamel Kathmandu, Dinesh Kumar Basnet of Daman Makwanpur, Hira Lal Lopchan of Padampur Chitwan, Sofal Lopchan of Bara and Dammar Lamsal of Pragati Nagar Nawalparasi.

At a press meet held at Kasara office of the Chitawan National Park, Pokhrel disclosed his involvement in rhino poaching and how he deployed other individuals in the act. Pokhrel was presented with the goods confiscated from him. Pokharel's recently renewed license mentions that he possesses four automatic weapons including the SLR rifle and a pistol.

A team led by Ana Nath Baral, assistant Protection Officer of the Chitawan National Park, had arrested Pokharel on February 17 from his residence in Kathmandu. The team also confiscated a rhino horn from his car and a caliber 30.06 automatic rifle during the arrest.
 
Pokharel said that he used different persons to kill rhinos including army man Budhathoki who supplied bullets whenever he needed it. Pokhrel also confessed that he killed a rhino at Padampur VDC with the help of Hari Bahadur Bishwokarma of Dumarbana VDC-7 of Bara, , in August 1996. However Bhudhathoki has denied his involvement in supplying the bullets.

Kamal Jung Kunwar, assistant protection officer claimed that Bishwokarma killed rhinos in 1997, 2002, 2005, 2006 and 2007 at different places under Pokharel's instructions.

National Park has taken the arrest of the poachers as significant achievement in discouraging the criminals.

The one-horned rhinoceroses are found only in three countries of South Asia. A  census says, there are 2162 rhinos in India, 413 in Nepal and 2 rhinos in Pakistan. A 2005 census counted 372 rhinos in Chitwan, down from 544 in 2000. Another statistic says that 372 rhinoceroses were found in Chitawan. Out of this numbers, 34 rhinos were illegally poached while 8 died due to natural causes.