A biker in Assam was chased and mauled to death by a rhino near Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary, highlighting human-wildlife conflict in the region
A biker in Assam was killed after being chased and attacked by a rhinoceros near the Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary in Morigaon district on Sunday.
The victim, identified as 37-year-old Saddam Hussain from the Kamrup Metropolitan district, was riding his motorcycle when the rhino emerged from the sanctuary. In a video that is going viral on social media platform X, a man can be seen abandoning his bike and fleeing into an open field as the rhino chased him.
Read More: Supreme Court To Hear RG Kar Rape-Murder Case Today; Doctors Hold Torch Rally Demanding Justice
Local residents shouted to scare off the animal, which can weigh up to 2,800 kilograms and run at speeds of up to 55 kilometers per hour. Hussain was later found in the field with severe head injuries. “The rhino came out of the wildlife sanctuary. We are investigating the incident,” a forest official told news agency ANI.
Read More: UPI down: Users report outage, face issues while sending, receiving money
Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary, located near Assam’s capital, Guwahati, is known for having the highest density of one-horned rhinos in India. Recent data released on World Rhino Day said that the population of one-horned rhinos in India has nearly tripled over the past four decades, rising from about 1,500 to over 4,000.
Adult Indian rhinos, which are the largest among three Asian species, can live for around 50 years. Kaziranga National Park in Assam is home to some 80 percent of the world’s one-horned rhinos.
