Nepal Boosts Wildlife Protection After Poachers Escape in Uprising

Nepal has ramped up its anti-poaching efforts to safeguard its valuable tigers, elephants, and rhinos after a large-scale jailbreak saw dozens of convicted poachers escape prison during an anti-government uprising in September, conservation officials confirmed on Wednesday.

“This is a matter of great concern for all conservationists,” said Bed Kumar Dhakal, Deputy Director General at the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, speaking to AFP.

“It adds an extra layer of threat to our conservation efforts, so we have instructed all national parks to intensify regular patrols.”

Over 50 poachers and wildlife traffickers were among the 14,500 detainees who escaped during the mass jailbreak. While many of the escapees have since returned or been recaptured, police are still actively searching for over 5,000 fugitives.

This includes at least 18 convicted poachers, according to officials from Chitwan, Nepal’s flagship national park and a UNESCO World Heritage site.

“Our national park has strengthened regular patrols and reinforced community-based anti-poaching units,” Avinash Thapa Magar, spokesman for Chitwan National Park, told AFP.

Dhakal added that officers are compiling nationwide data on the escaped prisoners who were convicted of wildlife crimes.

Nepal’s conservation efforts have garnered international praise, particularly for its success in restoring several endangered species, such as tigers and Asian one-horned rhinoceroses, which were once on the brink of local extinction.

The country has tripled its tiger population to 355 since 2010, and the number of one-horned rhinoceroses has surged from about 100 in the 1960s to 752 in 2021.

The country was thrown into turmoil in September when youth-led protests under the loose collective title “Gen Z” erupted following a government ban on social media. The protests, which initially focused on the ban, grew in scale and were driven by economic hardship and mounting frustration over corruption.

What began as a movement among the youth soon escalated into a broader national uprising. The protests culminated in the collapse of the government, with demonstrators setting fire to both the parliament and the Supreme Court. The violence, which lasted for two days, resulted in at least 76 deaths.

In the aftermath of the government’s collapse, 73-year-old former chief justice Sushila Karki was appointed as interim prime minister, tasked with leading Nepal towards elections scheduled for 5 March 2026.