The government is planning to send at least a pair of one-horned rhinoceros to China ahead of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s five-day state visit to the northern neighbouring nation which begins on June 19.

During a meeting with the Chinese Ambassador to Nepal Yu Hong, Minister for Forest and Environment Shakti Bahadur Basnet informed her that the preparations were underway to send the rhinos as gifts to China.

Four rhinos have already been captured from the Chitwan National Park for the purpose. 

China had requested Nepal to gift two pairs of one-horned rhinos during the then forest minister Agni Sapkota’s visit to China in January 2016.  Following the request, which had resurfaced during PM KP Sharma Oli’s visit to the northern neighbour that same year, the government in July 2016 decided to gift two-pairs of rhinos to China.

Maheshwor Dhakal, chief of Bio Diversity and Environment Division at the ministry, said while the government’s plan was to gift the rhinos to China as early possible, it had not fixed the date yet.

These rhinos will be transported in a wooden box in a Chinese airplane. Earlier, the country had gifted a pair of rhinos to Austria in 2006.