Rhino hit by truck in Kaziranga, Assam CM says ‘will not allow any…’ | Video

Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday informed that the rhinoceros that got hit by a truck in Kaziranga has survived. Sarma said that the truck has been intercepted and fined and the government is working on a "special 32-km elevated corridor."

“Rhinos are our special friends; we’ll not allow any infringement on their space,” the Assam CM said in a tweet.

“In this unfortunate incident at Haldibari the Rhino survived; vehicle intercepted & fined. Meanwhile in our resolve to save animals at Kaziranga we’re working on a special 32-km elevated corridor,” he added, while posting the video of the incident.

In the video, the truck can be seen trying to avoid hitting the rhino by changing the lane at the last moment but fails to do so. The rhino, after being hit by the truck, stands up on its feet in an attempt get off-road but falls again. Visibly hurt, the rhino, in second attempt, leaves the road.

According to local media reports, the truck was enroute Guwahati from Jorhat and the incident occurred in Haldibari Animal Corridor. The vehicle was reportedly intercepted in Bagari area of Nagaon district and was heavily fined by the transport and forest department.

Last month, Sarma and spiritual leader Jagadish Vasudev, popularly known as Sadhguru, drew flak for allegedly undertaking a jeep safari inside the Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve (KNPTR) after sunset. Conservationists alleged that safari timing was in violation with Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 and could have posed threat animals inside the park.

The population of one-horned rhinos in Assam’s Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve (KNPTR) has increased by 200 in the past four years, as per the latest census released in March this year. With a population of 2613, KNPTR has the largest population of one-horned rhinos.