‘They come right past the house’: learning to live with rhinos as numbers soar in Nepal

Hi r/environment, this is Emma from The Guardian. We wanted to share this story that we published today on Nepal seeing an increase in human-wildlife conflict as the number of megafauna, including rhinos and tigers, grows. 

*From our story:*

Paudel knows first-hand how important it is to promote better human-wildlife coexistence. She grew up in a small village close to forests and fields. “Our farming was most affected by wild animals. To protect our crops, we built a watchtower in the field.”

When necessary, they would spend the night in the tower, attempting to drive off wildlife that came from the adjacent complex of protected forests, with Chitwan national park at its core.

“Sometimes elephants even entered our home and ate all the stored food. In the beginning, my parents would have me climb trees to observe animals such as rhinoceroses, tigers and bears. Once, while cutting grass in a community forest, a leopard suddenly jumped right above my head.”

In 2004, while gathering firewood in the forest, Paudel’s mother was killed by a rhino.

Women are most vulnerable to potentially fatal encounters with wildlife because, in traditional Nepali society, they do the bulk of gathering of firewood, wild herbs and animal fodder in the forests. Paudel’s initiative has also included visiting villages to speak to mostly women and also schools, to start preparing children for potential encounters.

[You can read the full story for free at this link.](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/apr/21/rhinos-on-the-high-street-human-wildlife-conflict-nepal-aoe?referring_host=Reddit&utm_campaign=guardianacct)