Translocated rhino gives birth to male calf

          Translocated rhino gives birth to male calf

A rhino which was trans located to the Bardiya National Park (BNP) from the Chitwan National Park (CNP) in March has given birth to male calf. The rhino with ID 21010 gave birth to a male calf in the Guthi post area on Sunday, said Ashok Bhandari, assistant chief warden of the BNP. “The calf is healthy. The mother was one of the five rhinos translocated to Babai Valley of the BNP.The Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC), with the support from WWF Nepal, had translocated the rhinos as part of a plan to protect the endangered species and increase their number in potential habitats across the country. The DNPWC plans to move 30 rhinos to different habitats by 2018.
This is, however, not the first time a translocated rhino has given birth in Bardiya. Earlier, between 1986--when first rhino translocation took place--and 2000, a total of 27 calves were born in Bardiya. Thirteen of these endangered species were brought to the BNP from the CNP in 1986.By 2003, a total of 87 rhinos were translocated to the BNP and Shuklaphanta Wildlife Reserve, and over 70 rhinos were moved to Babai Valley.
Babai Valley that was once considered an ideal habitat for tigers and rhinos given the huge expanse of forest cover and grassland and limited human disturbance, however, gained notoriety for poaching, particularly between 2002 and 2006 when insurgency was at its peak. Almost all the rhinos that were translocated between 1986 and 2003 were wiped out.
But in recent years, conservation efforts with increased participation of government bodies, conservation partners, security forces and communities, Babai Valley’s habitats are gradually reviving. We have witnessed considerable increase in tiger and rhino population in and around the Babai flood plain areas, Bhandari said. “The birth of a male calf from a translocated rhino is encouraging. Nepal is home to 645 one-horned rhinos, with the CNP having the highest number of rhinos at 605 followed by the BNP at 29.

  source by Kathmandu post

Himalaya Airlines to start Doha service on May 31

Himalaya Airlines has decided to launch Kathmandu-Doha flights instead after failing to obtain clearance to operate services to New Delhi as per its original plan. The carrier, a Nepal-China joint venture company, said on Monday that it would be starting regular flights to the Qatari capital on May 31. It will be flying its new Airbus 320 from Kathmandu to Doha on a regular basis after conducting charter flights to Colombo, Sri Lanka. The airline had flown Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and his entourage to Beijing during his official visit to China in March.Raju KC, commercial general manager of Himalaya, said they would be operating three flights weekly to Doha initially. “We will soon be conducting daily flights to Doha on a regular basis,” he said.According to him, the introduction of their fleet to international markets could help increase the inbound market share of Nepali airlines. “In the next five years, we have targeted to increase the market share of Nepali carriers to 50 percent from the present 5 percent.

      Due to the absence of competitive airlines in the country, much of Nepal's international market has been secured by international airlines. Himalaya said its flight to Doha would depart Kathmandu at 11 pm while the return flight would leave Doha at 2:30 am. Vijay Shrestha, vice-president, administration of Himalaya, said they had created the flight schedule keeping the wishes of travelers in mind. Himalaya had originally planned to fly the Kathmandu-Doha route from April 12. It will be the second carrier to connect Qatar and Nepal after Qatar Airways. Shrestha said they would be delivering their service ‘on time performance’ basis and at competitive prices. “We are offering excellent customer service with a flavor of Nepali culture and at prices similar to those of budget carriers,” he said. Himalaya has appointed Cleopatra Travels as its General Sales Agents that will be conducting passenger and cargo related services on behalf of the airline.

Apart from Doha, the company has been planning to operate flights to Delhi and various parts of China. Shrestha said they had already applied for a permit to link Delhi and that the paperwork was being processed. “We have also planned to extend services to Chengdu, Lhasa and Beijing in China in the near future.”He said they had targeted to expand the fleet to 15 Airbus 320s in the next five years and connect Kathmandu with various cities in Asia and beyond. The airline acquired its first aircraft, an Airbus 320, on March 9.The company will introduce long-haul wide-body aircraft of the A330 family in due course of time to operate direct flights to Japan, Korea, Europe, Australia and North America," Shrestha said. It had previously planned to launch scheduled flights in October 2014, but the plan was deferred due to 'some technical problems'. It was further delayed by the devastating April 25 earthquake. source by kathmandu post.
  

Chhukung Ri peak climbing Nepal

                                       Chhukung  Ri peak climbing

 A more strenuous trip is to climb the hill to Dingboche than hike up the Imja valley for another two hours past Bibre to Chhukung, a small summer settlement at 4730m. The views from chhukung and further up the valley on the moraines towards Island peak (6189m) are tremendous. The great south face of Lhotse towers above to the north while Amphu Lapcha and the immense fluted ice walls that flank it dominate the horizon to the south. To the south west the eastern face of  Everest Ama Dablam provides an unusual view of this picturesque peak. It is a fast trip back down the valley to pheriche for the night.

 Chhukung is the staging place for climbers attempting Island peak. It’s also a good place to stay if you will climbing chhukung RI, a 5546m rock outcrop offering splendid panoramas of Makalu Ama Dablam and Baruntse 7220m. Chukhung Ri is a rocky peak, similar to Kala Pattar, rising above the village of Chukhung to 5,545 meters 18,209 ft. It takes three hours or less to reach the summit from Chukhung and it requires no technical climbing. The summit has astounding views of Imja Test Island Peak, Ama Dablam, Makalu, and the Lhotse face, and it is a worthwhile addition to any climbing or trekking itinerary in the Khumbu region.

    

Lumbini gears up for Buddha's birth anniversary

       

                           Lumbini gears up for Buddha's birth anniversary
             

       Lumbini is preparing to celebrate the 2,560th birth anniversary of Buddha by organizing various programmes. 

Hundreds of national and international visitors are expected to visit the birth place of Buddha on Saturday to celebrate the day. The trust is planning to unveil the statues of Chinese monks Hribeng Shang and Wen Huang on that occasion.

Member Secretary of Lumbini Development Trust Ajitman Tamang said the preparations are almost complete and they will be ready to welcome the guests by Saturday. Tourism entrepreneur’s said they are hopeful that the event would help promote tourism in Lumbini. source bye Kathmandu post