KATHMANDU (Reuters) - The numbers of endangered one-horned rhinoceros in Nepal are growing, thanks to effective anti-poaching measures in forests once occupied Maoist rebels, a senior park official said on Monday.

With peace, forests guards are going back to the jungles and authorities are restoring security and watching posts that had been removed during the decade-long Maoist insurgency that ended in 2006.

Rhino-experts, armed with binoculars and cameras, combed the Chitwan National Park on elephant backs for more than two weeks and counted 408 great one-horned rhinoceroses, chief warden of the park, Megh Bahadur Pandey said.

"We have also intensified anti-poaching drives and all political parties are interested in saving the rhinoceroses now," he said, adding that an all-party committee had been formed to discourage poachers.