One-horned rhino strays into Alipurduar; guided back to Jaldapara Park

Alipurduar: A one-horned rhino was spotted in the Shimlabari area of Patlakhawa Gram Panchayat (GP) in Block No. 1 of Alipurduar on Monday morning, causing panic among residents.

The adult rhino had strayed from Jaldapara National Park, where wild animals such as elephants and leopards are often seen, but rarely enter local areas.

Upon receiving the news, officials from the Jaldapara Forest Division quickly mobilised to return the rhino to the park. Kumki elephants were deployed to assist in the operation and after about three hours, the rhino was safely guided back into the forest. Fortunately, no harm was caused to the public during the incident.

Divisional Forest Officer of Jaldapara, Parveen Kaswan, confirmed the operation’s success, stating: “The rhino that strayed into Sonapur, Patlakhawa GP, has been returned to the forest by our teams. The operation was completed without any untoward incident.”