Rhinoceros, illustration.

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David Tanecek / AP / SIPA

The rhino population has increased by more than 100 individuals in the past six years in Nepal, the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Protection said on Saturday.

It has gone from 645 individuals in 2015 to 752 today.

This increase "is exciting news," said the spokesperson for the department on Sunday.

But challenges remain, especially to increase the habitat areas of this animal to allow this growth to continue.

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STORY 🔶 Nepal's one-horned rhinos are saved



👉 Endangered in the 1960s, Nepal's rhinos are now 752 thanks to a protection program supported by the government and @WWFFrance.

https://t.co/0CPfJio2rD pic.twitter.com/89WNWZ0530

- La Croix (@LaCroix) April 12, 2021

A three-week census

Thousands of one-horned rhinos once populated the Nepalese plains.

The destruction of their habitat and poaching dropped their population to around 100 in the 1960s. Since 1994, Nepal has carried out a census of this species every five years, considered vulnerable by the International Union for the Conservation of nature.

The 2020 census had to be postponed because of the coronavirus.

This year, he mobilized 250 people who roamed the parks for nearly three weeks, riding nearly 60 elephants.

The count was done using GPS equipment, binoculars and cameras.

During the census, a master elephant was attacked and killed by a tiger.

Poaching still deadly

The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), which provides financial and technical assistance for the census, sees the population increase as a "milestone" for Nepal.

“The general population growth is a reflection of the authorities' efforts to protect and manage habitat,” the WWF representative in Nepal said in a statement.

A total of 26 rhinos died in Nepal last year, including four from poaching, Nepalese officials said.

Poaching is fueled by a high demand for horns in Asia, where they are used in traditional medicine.

However, rhino horn is mainly composed of keratin, like human fingernails.

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