Four Years for the Rhino An Experience of Anti-Poaching Operations

About this book

Language: English

From the preface:

"From the fourth week of October 2006, when I began serving an unjust jail term, I kept asking myself: “What can I possibly do to conserve the rhinos? How can we stop the poaching of rhinos? How can we manage and conserve the rhino’s habitat?” For weeks these questions haunted me.

I then made a resolve to write a book chronicling my experiences in conserving the animal. I told myself, in the book I would hide nothing of the incidents that took place while working in the field of conservation and reveal the complexities and importance of conserving rhinos in Nepal. I also made plans to establish an organisation, ‘Save the Rhino Foundation’, and provide half the returns earned from my book to it for the control of poaching activities as well as for the conservation and management of park and park resources. This book is the result of that resolution. I also made a resolve to use the rest of my earnings to improve the lives of officials and informers dedicated to the cause of conservation, and provide scholarships to their children.

The truth might be bitter to many, but I feel that telling the truth is my duty as well as religion. This book is an account of what I discovered, what I did, what actually happened. This book takes a firm stand against the destroyers and desecrators of nature. Many friends who went through my manuscript suggested that I not mention the names of smugglers to avoid danger. But my intention in naming everyone was to reveal the bitter truth. I have no enmity, prejudice, anger, jealousy or envy towards anyone I encountered in the process of rhino conservation. My sole intention is that they must repent for their actions and correct their mistakes, so that no child is labelled a smugglers child, and no one of the future generation is ashamed of his or her forefathers deeds. If we intend to conserve rhinos, then rhino poachers and horn smugglers must be punished by law and boycotted socially.

I have tried to speak for the innocent and helpless animals that cannot speak for themselves. I have tried to give a voice to their painful cries. They all have the sarne opinion: allow us also to live and enjoy ourselves on the lap of nature in a small corner of the huge world. Every species should be allowed to live freely in the world, just like we humans. A rhino, pregnant or with a newborn infant, should be saved from being killed. An innocent baby doesn't know its mother has been killed and continues to suck on the dead mother’s breast. Every animal in the world should have the right to live and reproduce freely. I have tried to present events chronologically and converted Nepali rupees into US dollars (at April 2011 rates) so as to make it easy for a foreigner to understand. The role ofinformers in anti-poaching operations is very important. To keep their identity a secret, I have changed certain incidents where they could possibly be identified.

The present work was published for the first time in the Nepali language in 2009. It sold well and was liked by thousands of readers. However, when I started to write it, I wanted it to publish into English. Finally, I managed to publish it into English. I hope some of the ideas, concepts, methods, knowledge and skills obtained in the course of rhino conservation will prove useful to the policy makers, planners and conservation activists of the world with regard to the conservation of rare and endangered wildlife species."

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