Numbers of the rare Indian rhinoceros are nosing upward in Nepal, a nationwide government census has found.
Recently field observers counted 408 rhinos over two weeks in Royal Chitwan National Park, one of the last remaining strongholds for the endangered animals.
Preliminary numbers from the census suggest an increase from 2005, when observers reported seeing only 372 rhinos in the park.
Rhino numbers in other parts of the country have remained stable, with preliminary counts suggesting there are 31 rhinos in Royal Bardia National Park and 6 in the Royal Suklaphanta Wildlife Reserve, both in western Nepal.
A healthier sex ratio as well as gradual improvements in habitat management have helped boost rhino numbers, said Laxmi Prasad Manandhar, chief conservation and education officer at Nepal's Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation.
Officials say the rhino rebound is also due to new anti-poaching measures implemented in the aftermath of the country's decade-long Maoist insurgency.
Jungle patrols had ground to a halt during Nepal's civil war, in which Maoists occupied the forests and poaching activities went on unchecked.
"Since the end of the conflict period [in 2006], we have increased the number of guard posts in Chitwan to 34," Manandhar said.
"We are similarly constructing new guard posts in Bardia and Suklaphanta. Those who are now patrolling the forests include army people, civil servants, and members of the public."
Ramping Up
The Indian rhino, also known as the great one-horned rhinoceros, once roamed through large parts of South Asia.
Its horn is reputed to have aphrodisiac properties and can be worth thousands of dollars in China's traditional-medicine market.
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