Health of wounded rhino improves in zoo

"The activities of the over 30-year-old female rhino, strayed from a sanctuary before being swept away in flood waters, are normalising with its natural instincts to react to the presence of humans returning. This is a good sign", Smith told PTI.

"As the rhino, born and grown up in the wilds and has been kept away from other animals in the zoo for its medical care, it attempts to climb over the baricades to escape whenever her caregivers go near by," he said.

"The minor lacerations have been healed and the condition of a deep wound is improving. The injuries have been sustained either due to a fall or when washed ashore by the flooded river," he said.

Asked when the rhino is likely to be relocated to either Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary from where she had strayed away or to Manas National Park, he said "the authorities will decide when to release it to the wild. She has to heal first".

The two-tonne rhinocerous was swept downstream in the flood waters of the Brahamputra after it strayed from Pobitora and was stranded in the sandbars of the river at Sualkuchi in Kamrup (Rural) district on September 29. MORE