Rescue mission for Asian rhino
There are just 400 one-horned rhinos left
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Tuesday, 22, May 2007 12:38
New plans to bolster the declining numbers of the one-horned Asian rhino in Nepal have been announced today.
Less than 400 of the creatures are thought to exist after a dramatic decline in the rhino's population during the last ten years due to poaching. They are listed as endangered by the World Conservation Union's red list.
Under the new project, launched by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), National Trust for Nature Conservation, Nepal, and Nepalese government, steps will be taken to assess and monitor the situation.
Anti-poaching and surveying work will be carried out by specially-trained rangers on elephants and people will work in communities to discourage poaching and to encourage active conservation.
The measures are the result of the new representative government in Nepal, which has enabled the ZSL and other organisations to work to address threats to the environment.
Dr Richard Kock, ZSL conservation programme manager, said that the new rhino plan is a "fantastic step forward" for the species' conservation.
"The shift in government towards a more inclusive democracy in Nepal mean that we can finally start to address the current conservation crisis," he added.
"In the last ten years, poaching has threatened to completely wipe out the rhino population, but the recent shift in political situation is finally offering a glimmer of hope."