KATHMANDU: Pushpa and Anjali, two orphaned rhinos residing in Chitwan National Park, are scheduled to be transferred to Koshi Tappu Wildlife Sanctuary on September 27.

Assistant Warden Ganesh Prasad Tiwari of Chitwan National Park confirmed that the decision to relocate the two rhinos to Koshi Tappu had been made by the National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Department.

Following a comprehensive assessment by a technical committee in Koshi, which found the habitat suitable for the rhinos, the decision was finalized. The technical committee, led by the then Deputy Director-General of the Department, Bed Kumar Dhakal, submitted a detailed report outlining the plans.

Dhakal’s report outlined the need to create a suitable habitat for the rhinoceros in Koshi, including provisions for their security. Currently, there are no rhinoceroses in Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve. According to the park authorities, the rhinoceroses from Chitwan will initially be housed in an open enclosure for a period, after which they will be gradually released into the wild to acclimate to their new environment.

For security purposes, the rhinoceroses will be kept near the army post area of Koshi’s Pathri sector office.

Warden Tiwari noted that the two rhinos, rescued and raised in Sauraha, were released in the Lamital area of the park on the May 14. Both are female rhinos, initially separated from their mothers in the Tamaspur and Kujauli areas and later rescued at the ages of two and one month, respectively.

Currently, Pushpa is approximately 4 years old, and Anjali is 2 and a half years old. Tiwari, who also serves as the park’s information officer, assured that all necessary preparations have been made for the rhinos’ transfer, including the renovation of their transport enclosure. The most recent census in Chitwan National Park indicates a population of 694 rhinos within the park’s boundaries.