CHITWAN: Chitwan National Park has taken legal action against 442 individuals for various offenses related to wildlife and forest conservation in the last fiscal year, officials said.
According to the park’s information officer, Avinash Thapa Magar, 266 people were arrested for forest-related crimes, while 176 were apprehended for offenses involving protected wildlife.
Among those arrested, eight were involved in rhino-related crimes, one in a tiger-related case, 26 in wild boar poaching, five in pangolin cases, and three in bird-related offenses. Additionally, 126 individuals were caught for illegal fishing, five for unauthorized extraction of sand, gravel, and stones, 141 for collecting grass and firewood without permission, and 87 for illegally harvesting fiddlehead ferns (niguro).
The park also apprehended 23 individuals for entering without authorization, six for entering restricted zones, two for offenses involving snow leopards, five for leopard-related crimes, and four in connection with illegal mushroom collection.
A total of 26 legal cases were filed against the arrested individuals. Of these, four were registered in the District Court, including cases related to rhinos, tigers, and pangolins, while the remaining were filed at the park’s own office.
According to Magar, 14 of the park’s registered cases were resolved during the year. Including 27 cases carried over from the previous fiscal year, the park has successfully adjudicated several pending matters. Currently, 26 new cases have been carried forward into the current fiscal year.
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