Assam: Rhino hit by speeding truck spotted by drone

Guwahati, Oct 11 (SocialNews.XYZ) The one-horned rhinoceros that went missing after it was hit by a speeding truck near Assam's Kaziranga National Park has been found on Tuesday, officials said.

The incident happened on Sunday at the Haldibari animal corridor in Kaziranga National Park.

A CCTV footage showed that after the rhino was hit by the speeding truck, it was thrown off balance and looked disoriented.

The impact of the collision was such that it left the animal in complete shock and the rhino also lost its balance before it could somehow disappear into the forest.

The vehicle was coming from Jorhat towards Guwahati on the highway.

Since then, the forest officials launched a search operation to find the injured rhino but it could not be spotted. Some locals claimed that they have seen it once along the roadside at night, however, the forest department could not confirm about its whereabouts.

Finally, on Tuesday, the rhino was traced using the drone facilities. It looked healthy and doing well.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma tweeted: "Our Rhino friend, who met with an accident in Haldibari recently, is found to be doing good. Urge all to be kind to our animals. Go slow while passing through corridors, where you know some animals might cross."

He also shared a drone video of the rhino roaming in the forest.

Earlier, Sarma advocated for stern action against those who violates the speed restrictions while driving through the animal corridor.

The driver of the truck which hit the rhino was intercepted and fined for the incident.

The Assam government in a recent cabinet meeting decided to build a special 32-km elevated corridor in Kaziranga for the safety of animals.

Notably, in June this year, at least four animals including a leopard were killed after a vehicle struck them on the highway along the Kaziranga National Park.

Source: IANS