Did you know that Nepal is home to a quarter of South
Asia’s rhino population. The latest count of the population
has shown that rhino numbers have dropped to less than 400
from nearly 600 animals in three parks in 2000 due mainly
to poaching blamed largely on inadequate security caused by
the long-running Maoist insurgency. Trading in the horn of
the rhino is internationally banned, but experts say that
poachers are encouraged by the big profit margin.