CHITWAN, Nepal, Aug. 23 (Xinhua) -- Nepal has brought back four one-horned rhinoceros that were swept away across the Indian border and nearby settlements in the recent monsoon induced floods, government officials confirmed on Wednesday.
At least six endangered rhinos of Chitwan National Park (CNP), Nepal's largest habitat of rhinos, were swept away by the floods in Rapti River in mid-August.
A special operation was launched by the CNP and local conservation partners to bring back those dislocated rhinos from the jungles and settlements across the Nepal-India border.
Right after the flood that killed around 120 people across the southern plains of Nepal, the officials had relocated a two-year-old baby rhino in dead state while another four have been rescued alive.
On Wednesday morning, the park officials released the fourth rhino into the park, which was rescued from the Valmiki Tiger Reserve of India.
"This is the fourth rhino that we have rescued alive from nearby area of Indian Reserve. It is a male calf of around two-year-old and is completely healthy. Now, we are putting efforts to rescue the fifth one," Dr Chiranjivi Prasad Pokharel, chief of National Trust for Nature Conservation Chitwan, told Xinhua before the release of the rhino.
Out of four rescued rhinos, three were females while one was male.
Officials informed that the truck, with a special wooden cage-like structure, travelled around 150 km from the park to reach those settlements in neighboring India.
"It took at least four hours to bring back the rhinos after tranquilizing them through a dart with a support of big team," Pokharel added.
According to the national park officials, the rescued rhinos were in good physical state.
Abhinaya Pathak, conservation officer at the CNP, told Xinhua on the spot that "we make sure that the rescued rhinos are released only after check up and necessary treatment by the vet doctors. All those rescued rhinos are in good state and under our close monitoring."
According to Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, out of total 645 rhinos in Nepal, over 600 are in Chitwan National Park.
Beside rhinos, gharial crocodiles and spotted deer of CNP were also swept away in the monsoon floods triggered by incessant rainfall.
