By: 101 East
Tigers and rhinoceroses nearly became extinct in Nepal due to poaching – now their numbers are on the rise. We ask how they did it and at what cost.
By the 1960s, Nepal’s one-horned rhinoceros population had plummeted to less than 100, driven to extinction by poachers.
Yet the latest rhino census in Nepal reveals something remarkable: the number of rhinos has grown to 752.
The rise is attributed to one of the world’s most stringent anti-poaching approaches, combined with innovative, community-based conservation efforts.
And this success isn’t limited to the rhinoceros — the Himalayan nation is poised to triple its tiger population by 2022.
101 East examines one of Asia’s biggest conservation success stories and questions its sustainability.
