The angry rhino ended up on the streets of the town of Hetuada in southern Nepal after escaping from a wildlife reserve

Mar 31, 2015 13:54 GMT  ·  By

This Monday, a rhino went on a rampage in a small town in southern Nepal. The animal, shown in the video below running around looking confused and ready to charge, was eventually chased into a local forest.

Reports say that, during the time that it spent on the streets of the town of Hetuada, the animal attacked several people, injuring them. The rhino is said to have also killed an elderly woman who failed to get away from it in time.

The animal was living in a nearby reserve

The rhino that entered the town of Hetuada in southern Nepal this Monday was living in a wildlife reserve about 10 miles (16 kilometers) away. It is unclear how it escaped the protected area and found its way to Hetuada.

Authorities say that, when they realized that a rhino was cruising the town's streets, people freaked out and chaos ensued. Some folks started honking their car horns hoping to chase it away, others actually ran after the animal.

Since the rhino was refusing to leave, authorities decided to use trained elephants to guide the angry creature back into the wild. The plan worked, and soon enough, the rhino was no longer terrorizing people in Hetuada.

There was no talk of killing the animal

Since rhinos are now a critically endangered species, local authorities in Nepal never even considered to get rid of the rhino by firing their guns at it or anything of the sorts, NewsMax informs.

“We have contacted technicians to see if we can sedate the rhino,” a police officer told the press in an interview shortly after the rhino had entered the town of Hetuada. “Our focus is to rescue it,” he added.

According to wildlife researchers, it seldom happens that rhinos attack people and kill them. When they do, it's usually because they feel threatened and want to defend themselves.