35 spy cameras installed in Chitwan National Park to prevent poaching during festivals

Chitwan National Park has tightened surveillance to prevent possible poaching of wildlife during the festival season. According to park conservation officer Ganesh Prasad Tiwari, about 35 spy cameras have been installed in sensitive, high-risk areas.

He said the cameras were placed after identifying locations where unauthorized individuals or groups could enter. Camping and ambush operations are also being carried out in risk-prone areas.

The park remains alert to prevent a repeat of an incident from a few years ago, during the festival season, when poachers in the eastern region dug pits to hunt. Nepal Army personnel and park staff conduct regular and surprise patrols, day and night, in the park and adjoining forest areas.

The park said patrols are being conducted on foot, by bicycle, elephant, boat and jeep. Besides monitoring suspicious individuals' activities, information is also being gathered on people who have previously served sentences for wildlife crimes.

According to Tiwari, emphasis is being placed on using new technology and deploying rapid-response teams. Coordination and information-sharing with communities is being prioritized, and the park is also working with youth engaged in conservation. He said relevant agencies have been working together since a meeting of the Chitwan district-level Wildlife Crime Control Unit held on Asoj 28.