Festival in jungle drives rhino to settlements

By Bomlal Giri,Nawalpur, Nov. 14: A rhino went berserk at a human settlement in Nawalpur on Tuesday. The rhino entered the settlement from the core area of Chitwan National Park in Devchuli Municipality-1 and terrorised the people in Ward Nos 1, 3, and 4 throughout the day.

The rhino was driven back into the jungle only by 3 am on Wednesday in the continuous efforts of the Division Forest Office, community forests, Nepal Police, Nepali Army and locals. 

After the rhino entered the settlement, people were alerted, so no human casualties were reported, said Superintendent of Police Yadav Dhakal, who is also the chief of Nawalpur District Police.

The rhino arrived in the settlement because of the noises in the jungle areas because of a fair, said Netra Bahadur Pandey, Chairman of the Shishwar User Committee. A religious fair has been organised along the banks of the Narayani River in Devchuli Municipality-2 for the past four days on the occasion of Thuli Ekadashi. 

Pandey said that the commotion from the fair scared the rhino, driving it to the human settlement. Since rhinos typically leave to graze in the dark, the noise from musical instruments and people at the fair till late night caused the rhino to lose its way and enter the settlement.

Pandey also urged caution, suggesting that people should be mindful of the time when holding festivities and cultural events, as such gatherings could disturb wildlife and lead them to enter human settlements. He warned that these activities could affect wildlife and increase the risk of animals entering human habitats.

The fair, organised by the Divya Madhyabarti Community Forest along the Narayani River, had been drawing crowds of thousands daily since November 9.ss