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Chitwan NP and Sauraha (Nepal): mammal records

Posted by Paul Carter

Summary: In 2022 and 2023 I saw 16 mammal species in the Chitwan NP area (including Sauraha town and nearby community forests). The highlights were Indian Rhinoceros, Hog Deer, Large Indian Civet (at the extreme west of its range) and Dhurbe, the rarely seen bull elephant who killed at least 15 people in 2009-2012. Reptiles included Gharial and Ganges Softshell Turtle.

Paul Carter: paulcarter@pacapix.com.
Posted: 2025 April 7.   Revisions due: Images are not yet added.

Contents
a) Trip Information
b) Mammals
c) Mammal Images
d) Reptile List
e) Logistics
f) References and Links

A.  Trip Information

Dates: 2022 Oct 2-6 (alone), 2023 Nov 4-8 (with Chi Phan).
Sites mentioned in this report:
Sauraha Town: river-front area.
Kumroj Community Forest: on the north side of Rapti River and east of Sauraha town.
Tiger Tower: in Tikauli Jungle; we walked there from Green Mansions Resort.
Chitwan NP: south side of Rapti River; from Sauraha we were canoed across the river to the jeep.
Gharial Breeding Center: inside Chitwan NP; visited as part of a jeep tour.
Baghmara Tower: in the Baghmara Buffer Zone Community Forest.

B.  Mammals

List of mammals seen (page numbers refer to the South Asia checklist by Lynx):

  1. Asian Elephant (Elephas maximus). p013.1. Chitwan NP. On 2023 Nov 5 we saw Dhurbe, a legendary bull elephant, at N27.53910° E84.30641° (6.0 km WSW of Chitwan NP HQ). iNat. See the summary on Dhurbe below.
  2. Rhesus Macaque (Macaca mulatta). p018.3. Chitwan NP; Kumroj Community Forest.
  3. Terai Sacred Langur (Semnopithecus hector). p019.2. Chitwan NP.
  4. Indomalayan Long-tailed Climbing Mouse (Vandeleuria oleraceous). p038.1. Tiger Tower. iNat.
  5. Northern Palm Squirrel (Funambulus pennantii). p057.1. Chitwan NP.
  6. Particoloured Flying Squirrel (Hylopetes alboniger). p060.4. Baghmara tower (2023 Nov 6).
  7. Greater Short-nosed Fruit Bat (Cynopterus sphinx). p078.3. Sauraha (Chitwan Riverside Resort).
  8. Greater Asiatic Yellow Bat (Scotophilus heathii). p107.3. Tiger Tower; Baghmara Tower.
  9. Eurasian Wild Pig (Sus scrofa). p128.3. Chitwan NP (near the Gharial breeding center).
  10. Northern Red Muntjac (Muntiacus vaginalis). p131.3. Kumroj Community Forest; Baghmara Community Forest.
  11. Chital Deer (Axis axis). p131.4. Kumroj Community Forest; Chitwan NP.
  12. Hog Deer (Axis porcinus). p132.1. Kumroj Community Forest.
  13. Sambar Deer (Rusa unicolor). p132.2. Chitwan NP. Kumroj Community Forest.
  14. Indian Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis). p144.3. Kumroj Community Forest; Tiger Tower, Chitwan NP.
  15. Large Indian Civet (Viverra zibetha). p151.3. Baghmara tower (2023 Nov 6). iNat. This record is at the extreme west of its range.
  16. Indian Grey Mongoose (Urva edwardsii). p153.3. Sauraha (river bank).

Mounds were seen in Chitwan NP that were probably of Lesser Bamboo Rat (Cannomys badius).

Notes on Dhurbe, a male Asian Elephant, summarised from online articles:
From 2009 to 2012 Dhurbe killed at least 15 people and destroyed more than 50 houses (Wiki). In 2012/3: “93 soldiers from the Nepal Army and Chitwan National Parks were mobilized to kill the elephant” but they could not locate him (Wiki). He was rarely seen for five years (2013-2018). In 2018 the Kathmandu Post reported that he broke into the Sukhibhar army post in Chitwan NP and left with a female elephant Tirthamankali. He was collared again in 2020 but no longer has that collar. At some point he was darted and the tips of his tusks cut off. I was told this is done to wild bull elephants in Chitwan NP because they enter pens of domesticated elephant pens to breed with females (often shackled) and tip removal is done to protect the females from damage. In 2021 April Dhurbe attacked a rhino survey team (Wiki). In 2021 October he was seen accompanied by a female elephant. There are some sightings between 2022 and mid-2023 including some on YouTube. At least three iNat posts from 2023 Feb-March appear to be Dhurbe.
On 2023 Nov 5 we photographed him 6 km WSW of the Chitwan NP HQ; guides confirmed his identity. He seems to have a small distinctive notch just above the base of his right ear.
Links on Dhurbe:
Wikipedia page that covers 2009- 2020: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dhurbe
A 2012 blog post: https://all-likeit.blogspot.com/2012/12/dhurbe-true-story-of-elephant.html
Kathmandu Post article on 2018 reappearance: https://kathmandupost.com/national/2018/04/16/dhurbe-spotted-in-chitwan-national-park
Nepal Minute post 2022 Dec 12: Nepal Minute.
iNaturalist photos from Chitwan NP that appear to be Dhurbe:
Feb 2023: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/150135043
March 2023: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/152219939
March 2023: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/152045220
2023 May YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9zDJd5g3t8

C.  Mammal Images

Mammal images not yet added

D. Reptile List

  1. Ganges Softshell Turtle (Nilssonia gangetica). Kumroj Community Forest (2023 Nov 4); Sauraha river-front (2023 Nov 6). iNat. This post was added to the iNat group “Reptiles and Amphibians with Spinal Malformations” here.
  2. Gharial (Gavialis gangeticus). Kumroj Community Forest (2022); Sauraha riverbank (2022; 2023 Nov 6).
  3. Mugger Crocodile (Crocodylus palustris). Kumroj Community Forest; Tiger Tower.
  4. Oriental Garden Lizard (Calotes versicolor). Sauraha.
  5. Asian House Gecko (Hemidactylus frenatus). Sauraha Town (2022); Baghmara tower (2023 Nov 6). iNat.

E.  Logistics

I organised jeep trips and overnight tower stays through the various hotels that I used.
Hotels used: Green Mansions Resort (2022); Chitwan Riverside Resort (2022); Hotel Aikawa (2023).

Notes on costs etc:
Chitwan NP Entry Fees: 2000 NPR for Foreigners – valid for that day only (2023).
Chitwan NP is open from 6 AM to 5:30 PM.
Full day jeep safaris in the NP are run from 7 AM to 5 PM. Our private jeep for a full-day (7 AM – 5 PM) for 2 pax cost $230 (including park entry permits and lunch).
A shared jeep in Chitwan NP for 4 hours excluding park fees is around $20/p.
Tiger Tower (27.574700°N 84.454700° E): my overnight stay for 1 person was $60 (2022), based on $30/p minimum of two.
Baghmara Tower (27.594806°N 84.469736°E): My overnight stay for 1 person (2023) was $107. Tiger Tower was better value.
A private car trip from Kathmandu to Sauraha (Oct 2022) cost NPR 14,000 ($105).
Flew Buddha Airways from Pokhara to Bharatpur at $73 each (2023 Nov).
Flew Buddha Airways from Bharatpur to Kathmandu at $120 each (2023 Nov).

Exchange rate 2022 Oct: $1 = NPR-132
Exchange rate 2023 Nov: $1 = NPR-133.
See my Nepal page for further regional information.

F.  References and Links

Lynx (2020a) / Lynx Edicions (2020 June). Lynx Illustrated Checklist of the Mammals of South Asia. Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, Spain.

Chitwan National Park and National Trust for Nature Conservation Biodiversity Conservation Center (2020). A Checklist of Fauna and Flora in and around Chitwan National Park. https://mail.ntnc.org.np/sites/default/files/doc_publication/2020-09/Checklist_of_Fauna_Flora_Chitwan_National_Park_2020.pdf

A checklist of mammals recorded at Chitwan NP can be found here.

Ghatgain Tower: $30/n/p for minimum two guests + daily permit fee. This link is no longer valid (2025): https://www.hotelnationalparksauraha.com.np/night-tower-stay-tree-house

See my Nepal page for other regional information and links to other site reports.

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