Nepal's wildlife threatened by poachers

By Bhumika Ghimire
Column: Nepali in America

Published: November 16, 2009

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West Lafayette, IN, United States, — In an earlier column, this writer explained that Nepal’s freshwater dolphins face extinction if urgent action to conserve them is not taken. But dolphins are not the only ones under attack. According to media reports early last week, Nepal’s tigers, rhinos, exotic birds and elephants are also at risk due to increased poaching. An Agence France-Presse report said Nepal is fast turning into a "poacher's paradise.”

Wildlife diversity and conservation is of critical importance to Nepal. The country depends heavily on tourism, and the rapidly declining wildlife population could severely affect the industry. Unfortunately, conservationists and activists are disconnected from the government, which means efforts to save Nepal’s wildlife are at best half-hearted.

According to the AFP report, Chitwan National Park – famous for its single-horned rhinos – has lost 28 of them; 17 were killed by poachers in the last 18 months. Roughly one rhino is killed every month in the park, and yet this fails to get government attention. The tiger population in the park has been reduced by 60 percent. This suggests that poachers are sophisticated, well-funded and face virtually no deterrence.

If the government is serious about preserving wildlife, this is the time to deploy more security personnel in and around the country’s national parks to keep poachers at bay. That is what we would think, but not the Nepalese government. Rather, security patrols in and around the national parks have been reduced.

In 2006, the Nepali Times reported that in Chitwan National Park 32 anti-poaching security posts were reduced to eight. This was during the Maoist conflict. But even after the conflict ended, no efforts have been made to step up anti-poaching programs. The military, which has special units to safeguard national parks, is now facing severe restrictions on movements in and around the parks, which means fewer patrols and slower responses, giving poachers enough time to kill animals and escape.

Community and youth groups are working to spread awareness about poaching and are organizing campaigns to stop it. Although they have met with some success, as is the case with community efforts to stop deforestation in the country, their efforts are miniscule compared to the sheer scale and size of the problem.

It is true, however, that government cannot be everywhere to take care of each and every issue. To protect Nepal’s wildlife, it would be unrealistic to expect the government to do all the heavy lifting. Awareness campaigns launched by community organizations play an important role in informing people that wild animals in such parks are not pests but an important national and natural heritage, essential for maintaining a healthy ecosystem and helping the country’s economy.

But when a poacher with guns and ammunition comes to a village and promises to pay a large sum of money to anyone who helps kill a tiger, rhino or elephant, a villager struggling to make ends meet is more likely to go with the poacher. The villager knows that a tiger is precious, but he also knows that the money offered by the poacher, and not rhetoric about conservation, can feed his hungry family.

The point is, unless villagers living in and around national parks find a way to earn a comfortable living and rise above poverty, poachers will always take advantage of their situation despite the villagers understanding the importance of protecting the wildlife. If the government cannot provide enough armed security personnel to safeguard national parks, even economically secure villagers who are willing to protect wildlife cannot do much to protect Nepal’s wild animals.

Protecting Nepal’s wild animals should be a combined partnership between the public and the government. Last month an agreement was reached between Nepal, India, Bangladesh and Bhutan to establish a South Asian regional anti-poaching secretariat in Nepal. Hopefully, this partnership among neighbors will save Nepal’s and the region’s biodiversity.

(Bhumika Ghimire is a freelance reporter. Her articles have been published at OhMyNews, NepalNews, Toward Freedom, Telegraph Nepal, Himal South Asian and ACM Ubiquity. She is also a regular contributor to News Front Weekly, in Kathmandu, and Nepal Abroad, in Washington D.C. She can be reached at bhumika_g@yahoo.com. ©Copyright Bhumika Ghimire.)