Chitwan National Park (CNP) welcomed 72,461 visitors between mid-July and mid-December this fiscal year, generating Rs 106.71 million in revenue. Foreign tourists accounted for 33,730 of the total, surpassing the 32,880 domestic visitors.

According to Avinash Thapa Magar, CNP’s Information and Conservation Officer, the visitors include 5,851 tourists from South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).

During these five months, the park released 41 gharial crocodiles—40 females and one male—into the Rapti River from the Gharial Breeding Center in Kasara. The releases occurred at three intervals, supporting gharial conservation efforts.

The park has been actively collaborating with local communities to develop an action plan for wildlife protection and to prevent poaching. Officer Magar reported that rhino populations in the park's western region have increased, prompting plans to relocate some rhinos to the eastern part of the park. The relocation aims to mitigate risks from flooding in the Narayani River and ensure better conservation.

A meeting on the rhino relocation involved several key stakeholders, including Haribhadra Acharya, senior ecologist at the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation; Dr. Ganesh Panta, senior conservation officer at CNP; the battalion commander of the New Gorakh Battalion; divisional forest officers; buffer zone users committees' chairs; tourism officials; local business representatives; and local government representatives. -- RSS