Just after sunset on Monday, a large rhino quietly emerged from the edge of Nagarban. A narrow channel of the Narayani river lay ahead. Beyond it, less than 100 metres away, was a settlement.
The rhino waded into the roughly 40-metre-wide channel, heading towards the settlement. A few children and older people were walking along the bank. Hearing their noise, the animal became alert. It had gone only a short way into the water when the children grew louder. The rhino stopped, waited for a while, then turned around and disappeared into the forest.
The forest sits on an island about 1.5 kilometres downstream from the Narayani Bridge in Narayanghat. Locals call it Nagarban, although its official name is BP Shanti Community Forest. Mahesh Baniya, chair of the forest, estimates that around ten rhinos live there, including three calves. He says the animals can be aggressive.
“One calf is now on its own. Its mother may have been swept away in the late-September floods. The calf often wanders into nearby neighbourhoods these days,” Baniya said.
As dusk falls, adult rhinos emerge from Nagarban and head towards settlements 2–3 kilometres to the south, including Naughare, Barghare and Lanku. They spend the night grazing in fields and along gullies before returning to the forest early in the morning.
Last winter, a person was killed in a rhino attack in a riverside neighbourhood in Barghare. Two or three rhinos regularly venture into the area. Baniya has urged residents to take extra care when walking around at dusk and dawn.
“Some of the rhinos are aggressive and charge as soon as they see a person. I have narrowly escaped being attacked twice myself. People need to be careful,” he said.
Ramesh Kumar Paudel is the Chitwan correspondent for Kantipur Publications.
