Two rhinos have died in the Chintwan National Park (CNP) on Tuesday. With this, the death toll in the current fiscal year, 2076/77 reached 13.

A around 20 year-old female rhino was found dead at Tamasapur area, and 30 year-old another near Shukhivar, said CNP’s information officer Gopal Ghimire.

The 20 year-old rhino died after consuming poison-laced fodders according to a preliminary investigation, said senior vet Dr Bijaya Kumar Shrestha. The cause of the death of another one is yet to be established.

In the last FY, 2075/76, 43 rhinos died from natural causes, and the figure stood at 26 in the FY, 2074/75 and 25 in the FY, 2073/74. The increment in the death of rhinos from natural causes has caused a matter of concern for wildlife conservationists and concerned authorities and has prompted the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation to investigation the matter by forming a probe committee.