A one-horned rhino that was found with multiple bullet wounds has been rescued and brought to Sauraha in Chitwan for treatment on Sunday.

The rhino was rescued from the Tileshwor community forest of Chandrapur-2 in Rautahat district. The rhino was found on Saturday with six bullet wounds, including four in the head. The rhino, which is said to be in critical condition, is receiving treatment under direct supervision of the animal health experts. A team comprising Chitwan National Park Assistant Conservation Officer Chandra Shekhar Chaudhary, animal health expert Purushottam Pandey, Information officer of National Trust of Nature Conservation Ram Kumar Aryal and a team of Nepal Army rescued and transported the rhino to Chitwan. The team darted the rhino and brought it to Chitwan on a truck.

“Due to numerous bullet injuries in the head, the health of the rhino is hard to ascertain,” said CNP Chief Conservation Officer Ram Chandra Kandel. “It lied on the ground for longer period without water,” he added.

The health workers put the rhino on drips while being transported on the truck. The rhino appears to be in too much pain and is unable to move as the bullets are still lodged inside the body, according to Information Officer Aryal.

Local people in Chandrapur, Rautahat, informed police about the rhino after they spotted the injured pachyderm in the bush. A team of national park officers and security agencies later reached the area and found the stricken animal. It took the team a whole night to rescue the rhino.

The CNP observed zero rhino poaching years for the past two years. This is the first case where a rhino has been shot in the area in the past two years.