The Bufferzone

When the Chitwan National Park was established to protect wildlife, the Tharu people who lived in the area were forced to move out. They were forced to settle in villages on the outskirts of the park. Meanwhile, rhino horn, which became more valuable than gold, led to ruthless poaching, and the rhinos were driven to near extinction. The Nepalese government mobilized the army to protect the rhinos, and it was successful in doing so. However, the national parks provided limited habitat for the growing rhino population. In search of scarce food, rhinos began to cross boundaries and enter the nearest villages. It was inevitable that the first human-animal conflict would occur in the Tharu settlement, the closest village to the national park, the so-called ‘buffer zone.’ Rhinos are disappearing because of human greed, farmers are being forced to leave their villages because of rhinos, while jungle guides are surviving on rhinos. Conflicting desires. Can they coexist in the buffer zone?