Conservationists are alarmed after several convicts serving prison terms for rhino poaching and trafficking in rhino parts escaped during last month’s Gen Z protests. Among the fugitives is Bindar Singh Praja, a notorious offender who had been on the run for 11 years before his arrest — and has now escaped once again.

According to the Department of Prison Management, 12 inmates convicted of rhino poaching fled from, while at least three others escaped from other prisons. Five of the fugitives were serving the maximum sentences handed down under Nepal’s wildlife crime laws.

The incident has reignited fears that political instability could once again threaten wildlife conservation efforts. Historical records show that during the Maoist insurgency (1996-2006) and the state of emergency, poaching reached unprecedented levels, killing many rhinos in a single year. Similar surges occurred following the 2006 political movement.

The country’s current volatile political situation, coupled with major festivals like Dashain and Tihar—when surveillance often weakens—has raised further concern among conservationists.

In November, 2023, two rhinos were found dead in Chitwan National Park, their horns brutally removed by poachers. Authorities confirmed that traffickers had killed them for their valuable horns, used illegally in international markets. Although no new poaching incidents have been reported since, the fact that key planners behind that crime have now escaped from prison poses a renewed threat to the country’s rhino conservation success.

Rhino poacher arrested after 11 years flees again

Bindar Singh Praja, also known as Sagar, a convicted rhino poacher long wanted by authorities, has once again escaped from prison. His name tops the list of fugitives recently issued by the Department of Prison Management, following the mass jailbreak during the Gen Z uprising.

Sagar was convicted in one of the country’s most notorious wildlife crime cases. The Chitwan National Park had filed a case against him in 2010 for killing a one-horned rhino and selling its horn. Though the park’s court sentenced him to 15 years in prison and fined him Rs100,000 in 2015, he had already gone into hiding. He managed to evade capture for 11 years before being arrested in 2021 from the Ghansikuwa area of Tanahun district.

Authorities claim that Sagar had been active in rhino poaching since 2004 and was accused of killing several rhinos. The 15 years prison sentence and Rs100,000 penalty handed to him was the maximum punishment for rhino poaching. Amendments to the National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act later increased the maximum fine for rhino poaching to Rs1 million.

New rhino poachers, masterminds among the escapees

Not only old offenders like Sagar, but also newly convicted poachers and masterminds of recent killings have escaped from prisons. Among the fugitives are Ramesh Khati of ward 3 of Hetauda Sub-metropolis in Makawanpur, Aita Singh Moktan of ward 11 of Rapti Municipality in Chitwan, and Indra Bahadur Tamang of ward 9 of Madi Municipality in Chitwan. Each of them had been sentenced to 15 years in prison and fined Rs1 million for rhino poaching.

The trio was convicted for the killing of two rhinos whose carcasses—horns severed—were discovered in 2023 in the eastern sector of Chitwan National Park. The Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) and the Nepal Army had jointly investigated the case, identifying Khati as the mastermind. According to the park’s report, the team had built a temporary hideout inside the park, trapped the rhinos in pits, and then sawed off their horns. Moktan and Tamang were arrested in 2023.

“A total of 46 inmates and detainees were serving sentences for rhino poaching cases at Bharatpur Prison before the escape. Of them, 12 have not returned or made contact since the jailbreak,” said Chetanath Dhungana, information officer at the prison. Five of the escapees were sentenced for 15 years.

In addition, prisoners serving five to ten years for similar offenses have also escaped from Bharatpur Prison, while three convicts in rhino poaching cases — Arjun Sen Thakuri of Rolpa, Sitaram Thing of Makawanpur, and Bishnu Bahadur Karki Chhetri of Hetauda — fled from the Central Jail in Kathmandu. Conservationists say the mass escape has once again endangered Nepal’s hard-won rhino conservation gains.

Conservationists warn of rising risks

Conservationists have warned that the escape of convicted rhino poachers poses a serious threat to the country’s conservation achievements unless law enforcement agencies and local communities work together.

“This is a critical time for vigilance and cooperation,” said conservationist Basu Dhungana. “Wildlife conservation rests on three pillars—park administration, the army, and the local community. If one weakens, the entire structure collapses.” He urged citizens, media, civil society groups, and political parties to remain alert and support wildlife protection.

Conservation activist Doma Paudel of Sauraha, who has led community campaigns against poaching for 14 years, echoed Dhungana’s view. “We trust the army and administration, but communities must also stay alert,” she said. “Currently, most buffer zone committees around the Chitwan National Park lack leadership—only seven of the 22 committees have been reconstituted. That institutional gap is a serious challenge to conservation.”

Senior Conservation Officer Ganesh Pant, chief of Chitwan National Park, said the park has devised a security strategy to address the potential risks posed by the fugitives. “We had hoped they would surrender, but since they haven’t, we’ve reinforced surveillance and are working to capture them,” he said.

Nepal is home to 752 one-horned rhinos, with 694 of them residing in and around Chitwan National Park.