RETURN OF THE RHINO
Nepali environmentalists are elated over the comeback of rhinos in Chitwan national park, located 140 km south-west of Kathmandu. Almost wiped out by poachers a decade ago, the 1994 official census noted a revival: there are more than 400 rhinos and about 140 tigers in the reserve now. However, dangers persist, warns conservationist Pralad Yonzon, who led the '94 census. The main threat is from poachers (who smuggle rhino horns to Hong Kong and other far eastern trading centres) and human pressures.