Lightning kills two rhinos in Bengal park

Two rhinos, including an adult female, died from lightning strikes at the Gorumara National Park in northern West Bengal's Jalpaiguri district, officials said on Saturday.

"One was an adult female and the other a sub-adult male," an official of the divisional forest office said.

The dead rhinos were discovered on May 18 by forest guards during their routine rounds.

According to Pop Tshering Bhutia, the chief conservator of forests, Northern Circle, there was no reason for alarm as the deaths were due to regular weather phenomenon.

"It is a large open tract of grassland and therefore, animals are subjected to effects of changing weather," Bhutia told IANS.

Bhutia also contradicted reports that said three rhinos had been killed in the lightning strike.

Gangetic West Bengal has been receiving heavy rainfall since Thursday due to cyclonic storm, Roanu. Several coastal districts were inundated due to overnight showers.

Refuting reports, Bhutia said no abnormal flooding had occurred in the national park, which is located in the Terai region of the Himalayan foothills.

--IANS

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