Rhino detained for killing man in Nepal to be released soon

Fri, 28 Jan 2011

Kathmandu - A rhino detained in Nepal after it killed a man is to be released when a fence is completed around a national park in the next few months, local media reported Friday.

The blind rhino named Vikram was detained last year in Bardiya National Park in Nepal's west after it killed a 60-year-old Hindu priest, the Nagarik daily reported.

The one-horned rhino was transferred to Bardiya National Park from Chitwan National park in central Nepal, after it suffered severe injuries and went blind following a beating by locals in 2002.

Vikram is being held in a small, walled enclosure.

"We don't want to hold Vikram in detention," said conservation officer Ramesh Thapa. "He used to walk a distance of 95 kilometers a day in the forest, but here he's limited to some 3,500 square feet (325 square meters) of land."

The blind rhino was formerly a favorite among park employees and popular with tourists who wanted to be photographed with him.

Conservation officer Ashok Bhandari said Vikram would be released in three months time in the Babai area where a fence is being built to keep the wild animals inside park.

Vikram is is one of 24 rhinos in Bardiya National Park. Nepal has just over 400 rhinos.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/364680,nepal-be-released-soon.html.