At least two motorcycle riders were injured in an attack by a wild rhino in Assam’s Kaziranga, reports emerged on Thursday.
According to the reports, the incident took place at the Haldhibari corridor near Kohora range. A father-son duo was injured in the rhino attack.
As per information received, the father and the son were traveling from Tezpur and were headed to Jorhat on their two-wheeler when the rhino attacked their vehicle.
Both father and son were injured in the rhino attack, however, it has come to the fore that the son, identified as Gyanam Mahanta sustained serious injuries.
The duo was immediately rushed to a hospital in Jorhat where they are receiving treatment.
A person familiar with the incident said, “Today at around 7.30 am in the morning two people were attacked by a rhino at Haldhibari animal corridor area. They were coming in from Tezpur and were traveling on a bike.”
“Both of them were injured with the child, Gyanam Mahanta sustaining grave injuries. They were given first aid at Kohora medical and were then referred to Jorhat Medical College,” he added.
It may be noted that amid a loss of habitat, human-animal conflicts in the region are not an uncommon occurrence. Earlier in February this year, as many as four people sustained injuries after a one-horned rhino, strayed out of the Eastern Range Gamiri under the Biswanath wildlife division, Kaziranga National Park in Assam.
The incident was reported at Dipora Tinimukhi in Gohpur under Biswanath district. Of the four injured people, one forest SRPF personnel (Gopaljaroni Anti Poaching Camp) also sustained injuries in the attack.
The injured persons have been identified as Rudrabahadur Dorji (Male- 62), Radhika Dorji (Female- 45), Jailash Sahani (Female-36) and forest personnel Ajijul Hoque (Male-24).
Speaking to Pratidin Time, Pranjal Gogoi, Forest Ranger, Gohpur said, “The rhino that strayed out of the Kaziranga National Park attacked four people including our forest personnel. Our forest officials resorted to blank fire in the air to scare away the wild animal.”
Meanwhile, all the injured persons were shifted to Biswanath civil hospital for initial treatment; however, later they were shifted to Lakhimpur Medical College Hospital (LMCH) for better medication.
