Kathmandu, Aug. 13 -- Even as the world marked World Elephant Day on Monday, pledging to protect the endangered species, Nepal continues to lose its elephant population at a rate faster than any other country that is host to the Asian elephant species.

The country has an estimated population of 100 to 150 elephants, but every year, two to three elephants are killed in retaliatory actions by local communities, according to Dinesh Neupane, who has been studying elephants for over a decade.

On average, Nepal is losing two percent of its elephant population every year, he said.

"The number of annual deaths may seem small, but when we look at our population of elephants, it is alarming," Neupane told the Post. "We have a small number of ele...