CHITWAN: A one-horned rhino rescued from Balmiki Tiger Reserve in India and brought to the Chitwan National Park (CNP) on Thursday, has been released into the park today.

The rhino — ninth one to be rescued from India — has been freed in the presence of Secretary at the Ministry of Forest and Soil Conservation Dr Yubak Dhoj GC, Director General Man Bahadur Khadka at the Department of the National Parks and Wild Conservation and Member Secretary at the National Trust for Nature Conservation Govinda Gajurel among others.

The female rhino of about 15 years of age, was swept away from the CNP in a monsoon flood four months ago. The pachyderm  was spotted in the vicinity of the wildlife reserve in India, around 20 kilometres east of the Nepal-India border.

As many as 70 persons and four tamed elephants from Nepal were used to take the rhino under control and bring back to Nepal.

Acting on a tip-off that another rhino has been spotted in the Indian side around 60 kilometres away from the border, a team from CNP has headed towards the site today to take stock of the rhino, the CNP's Assistant Conservation Officer Abhinaya Pathak said.