A third of the 30 endangered one-horned rhinos living in a sanctuary in western Nepal have died in less than a year, most of them slain by poachers, an official said Sunday.
"Ten rhinos died in the past 10 months, out of which seven were killed by poachers," Phanindra Kharel, chief of Nepal's Bardia National Park, told AFP by telephone.
"They are under real threat and we are very concerned."
Three other rhinos died of natural causes, the official added.
"If poaching is not stopped, all the rhinos might be gone in the next few years," said Kharel from the park, 350 kilometres (215 miles) west of the capital Kathmandu.
Last month, park officials arrested a soldier and three former army troops for poaching two rhinos.
"We have stepped up security inside the park but we still don't think these wild animals are safe because we have found the involvement of security guards in poaching," he said.
Wildlife experts say many rhinos fell prey to poachers during the 10-year Maoist rebellion that ended in 2006, as guards had abandoned security posts to fight.
The animal's horn is highly valued as an aphrodisiac in China, and is used to make dagger handles in Arab countries. A single horn can fetch as much as 14,000 dollars on the international black market.
Rhino poaching carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in jail in Nepal.
Rare rhino numbers in Nepal fall due to poachers
Gopal Sharma, Reuters 1 Jun 08;
KATHMANDU (Reuters) - Poaching in the Himalayas is taking a heavy toll on the population of the endangered one-horned rhinoceros in Nepal, a wildlife official said on Sunday.
There were 31 rhinoceros in the jungles of Bardiya National Park located in Nepal's southwestern plains last year of which nine have gone missing, park official Phanindra Kharel said.
"This shows that the rhinoceros are under threat from poachers," he said. "This is very serious and if this continues we may not have any rhinoceros left soon."
Global conservation group WWF estimates there are less than 3,000 rhinoceros left in the world. They are found mostly in northeastern India and about 425 in neighboring Nepal.
Last month, authorities arrested a soldier and his three accomplices on charges of killing two rhinoceros in Nepal's Bardiya park.
The other area where the one-horned rhinoceros is found is the northeastern Indian state of Assam which has 1,855 beasts.
But poaching is also a big threat there and at least 10 animals have been killed in India's northeast since January this year by hunters, forcing authorities to tighten security.
Rhino horns are considered to have aphrodisiac qualities and fetch a high price in China and Southeast Asian countries, wildlife experts say.
Anyone found guilty of killing a rhino can be sentenced to up to 15 years in jail in Nepal. But experts say the implementation of the law is weak.
Officials in the Chitwan National Park in central Nepal, which has 408 rhinos, have also tightened security to save them from poachers
(Editing by Bappa Majumdar)