On a recent Saturday, I went to Vinod Shrestha's house in Gurjudhara, Kathmandu, along with writer Pravas Gautam. Two women were dragging a middle-aged man from the bedroom to the living room.

This was not just today's scene, it was the daily life of Dilmaya Shrestha (60) and Srishti Shrestha (31). The man who was carried in the tent was Vinod Shrestha, conservation officer of the National Nature Conservation Fund. Dilmaya is Vinod's mother and Srishti's wife.

Srishti lifts Vinod on two arms, Dilmaya on two legs. And, both of them picked up Zuruk and brought him from the bed of the bedroom to the living room and placed him on the sofa. 'A little higher', 'A little lower', 'No that way', 'A little above the head', 'Haat a little like this' - Vinod kept saying like this. And, accordingly, Srishti-Dilmaya arranged her body on the sofa. After only five minutes of this effort, he felt that it was easy for him. Finally Vinod was ready to talk to us. 

Vinod Shrestha is the conservation officer of the fund. He is also a promising young man who came to this area with the dream of making a strong contribution to Nepal's nature conservation. However, he returned from that gap with a motionless body under his neck. 

Vinod, who is not even 4 decades old, does not move below the waist, nor does he move his hands. Only he speaks. Food should be served by others. Someone else's support is needed for stool and urine. For urinating, the urinary bladder is permanently attached. They can't get up or turn around. In this situation, there is no hope that he will recover. 

'Treated with modern technology as possible in Nepal. But not fully recovered. Dhanan is so lucky, even if he has a face, he can still see, but he can hear his speech,' says Vinod's mother Dilmaya, 'There is no chance of a full recovery.' Let's move on to its background. 

Samvat 2077 Chait 20, Friday. I was the member secretary of the National Nature Conservation Fund. It was my daily routine to go to the Ministry of Forest and Environment and the government headquarters at Singha Durbar. On that day too, I was returning to Khumaltar from Singha Durbar along with Accounts Head Vidur Pokharel around 2 o'clock.

I had just reached the Patan Hospital in Lagankhel, when I got a call from Baburam Lamichhane, head of the Fund's Biodiversity Conservation Center, Chitwan. Vinod fell down and got injured when the Dhruva elephant attacked our elephant that Vinod was riding. Maybe a broken back. Rescued and placed on a stretcher, they are being taken to Madhyabindu Hospital in Nawalparasi, Kawasoti.' 

I said, "Rescue him without delay and let's make arrangements to bring him to Kathmandu as treatment will not be possible there." It seems to be taken to Kathmandu. That is the advice of the health workers/technicians at Nawalparasi.' 

Vidur and I immediately advised to bring Vinod to Kathmandu by airlift. And, we started looking for helicopters of both the private sector and the Nepali army. The helicopter of the Nepalese army was found. It was in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic. Even going to and from the hospital was difficult and there was an atmosphere of panic. The senior management of the fund decided to take Vinod to Hyams Hospital. While making this decision, the helicopter of the Nepali Army reached the hospital in Nawalparasi, Kawasoti to rescue Vinod and brought him to the Hams Hospital in Kathmandu, Mandikatar. 

Prime Minister was - KP Sharma Oli. During Oli's tenure, the national rhino census program was completed in Nepal. Earlier, the number of rhinos decreased due to Maoist armed conflict and massive increase in poaching. Meanwhile, the government had introduced a special program for rhino protection. Poaching was strictly controlled. That is why the government introduced the program of rhinoceros counting. Significant progress was also made in the number of rhinos. 

The National Rhino Counting Program was started from Chitwan National Park on 11th Chait 2077, the technical coordination of which was done by the National Nature Conservation Fund. The rhino census was officially launched by Forest and Environment Minister Prem Bahadur Ale. Different groups were formed for that.

Vinod joined one of those teams. The rhinoceros census was started from the eastern part of Chitwan National Park. About 40 domesticated elephants were used in the calculation. Vinod was riding an elephant, Sitashmakali. Rhinoceros counting was done from morning, it was planned to be done in 21/22 days. 

Vinod remembers that day, 'It was the 9th day of the rhino count. The team rested at Tiger Tops on the west side of the park. In the morning, while going to complete the task, the 'paw mark' of wild elephant Dhruva was seen. While counting the rhinoceros, a hundred meters ahead, a polar elephant was hiding in a tree. It was 6 am, I informed the team, Dhruve could cause trouble. Collected 7/8 elephants and advanced after Dhruva. Dhruv is having frequent 'encounters'. Dhruva was a mischievous and defiant wild elephant.

I reached a bush. Dhruva is seen again. The military team was right behind us. The pole elephant was chasing the elephant I was riding. Meanwhile, I also called wife Srishti – Dhruve is chasing, but the work is getting done. Especially Dhruve was chasing Sitashmakali. Because the elephant I rode was female. Around 1:30 am, I don't know how long I fell before the elephant chased me, chased me away.

When Sitashmakali ran away, Vinod fell to the ground after hitting a tree. When Vinod, who was chased by an elephant, regained consciousness, he was crying in the hospital bed. By the time he found out, 65 days had passed. The place was Hams Hospital in Kathmandu Mandikatar. 

Many times Vinod was also involved in controlling the terror of Dhruva elephants. However, no such unpleasant incident happened. He knew well how to avoid the attack of wild animals. However, that day was a terrible and terrible moment. 

He was treated for 75 days at Hams Hospital. Had to be treated in ICU for 65 days. They say, 'What is written, you have to experience it. I am enjoying.' He spends his days reading books like Gita, Ramayana. 

...

Vinod has a big dream to get well and go to Dwarthok, his birthplace, Dhading, Jalukami, where he had his early education. The school was in a large square and under a peepal tree. There he learned that people and environment are closely related. Vishwa Niketan, where he later came to Kathmandu to study, was also on the banks of the Bagmati.

Vinod used to see an old man cleaning Bagmati every day from the window of Vishwa Niketan. However, Bagmati was getting dirtier. The same Bagmati made him interested in environmental protection right from school. And, he decided to get higher education in environment. He passed his Masters in Environmental Science from Tribhuvan University. 

In 070, Vinod got an opportunity to join the National Nature Conservation Fund. The first place he worked was Banke National Park. He was assigned there to assist in the management of the park, especially biodiversity conservation. In 3 and a half years, he was transferred to the Fund's Bardia conservation program. 

After a year, he was transferred from Bardia to Chitwan-based fund's Biodiversity Conservation Centre, Sauraha. His job in Chitwan was to conduct research and conduct training. Studying the condition of wild animals is one of the few researches done by Vinod while in Banke. Chitwan, Banke or Bardia, wherever he went, it was Vinod's daily life to rescue wildlife in distress. 

While in Chitwan, Vinod got married to Srishti Shrestha from Kathmandu, Gurjudhara on February 13, 2075. He was excited by the movement of Srishti. From time to time, the government asked what is the condition of wildlife in the park? How many wild animals are being updated? The fund has been helping the government in this work since its inception. In 2077, in order to count the number of rhinos in Nepal, the Rhino Counting National Program was announced, in which Vinod was assigned as an active member. He met with a serious accident, but could not save his life. 

Nepal's Chinari is also a one-horned rhinoceros. Prime Minister Oli believes that Nepal's one-horned rhinoceros should be linked to Nepal's identity and become a global identity. If a government system to look at the living martyrs of conservation like the rhino herdsman Vinod Shrestha can be established, there will be a positive step in the conservation sector, which has not happened. 

About one and a half crore was spent on the treatment of Vinod Shrestha on behalf of the National Nature Conservation Fund. Until now, arrangements have been made to give partial salary-facilities on behalf of the fund. Vinod needs a constant companion to care for him. My desire was to create a revolving fund for the management and humor of an associate. However, that desire has not been fulfilled. 

In such a situation, Vinod would have been relieved and relieved if financial assistance was received from the Nepalese government. According to Vinod's wife Srishti, Vinod and his family have not received any help from the Nepal government so far. Srishti says, "If the government and organizations working in the field of conservation provide financial support, we are thinking of setting up a separate fund in Vinod's name, so that the rest of Vinod's life can be made easier." However, it has not been done.'