Rhino calf swept by flood rescued from across the border

RATNANAGAR, CHITWAN: A male rhinoceros calf that was swept away by floods across the border to India has been rescued.

The calf was rescued on Saturday evening and brought back to Chitwan. It is currently being kept at the National Nature Conservation Trust in Sauraha.

The three-month-old rhino is being kept with the conservation trust as it would be at risk if freed into the wild, said Abhiyan Pathak, assistant conservation officer at Chitwan National Park. “The rhino will be freed into the wild after it matures.”

The CNP and the technical team from the conservation trust have so far rescued six rhinos within 10 days.

Five of the rhinos have already been released in the park. The CNP team is still searching for rhinos in India, shared CNP Information Official Nurendra Aryal.

Two rhinos, spotted deer and mouse deer each were killed in the recent flood.

The flooding also destroyed properties worth more than Rs 20 million in the wildlife habitation areas within the CNP, stated Man Bahadur Khadka, Director General of National Parks and Wildlife Department.