Watch: Speeding truck knocks down Rhino in Kaziranga

New Delhi, Oct 09: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday shared a chilling video of a rhinoceros being hit by a speeding truck at Haldibari in Dhubri district.

"Rhinos are our special friends; we'll not allow any infringement on their space," Sarma tweeted.

"In this unfortunate incident at Haldibari the Rhino survived; the vehicle was intercepted and fined. Meanwhile, in our resolve to save animals at Kaziranga we're working on a special 32-km elevated corridor," he added.

Rhinos are our special friends; we’ll not allow any infringement on their space.

In this unfortunate incident at Haldibari the Rhino survived; vehicle intercepted & fined. Meanwhile in our resolve to save animals at Kaziranga we’re working on a special 32-km elevated corridor. pic.twitter.com/z2aOPKgHsx

— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) October 9, 2022

In the video clip, which has now gone viral, a speeding truck rammed into a rhino comes running out of a wooded area before stumbling onto a road. The driver tries his best to divert the vehicle and save the animal but fails to do so. After being hit, the rhino gets up, falls down again, and scurries back into the forest.

The video and Sarma's tweet evoked mixed response on Twitter.

"My heart weep for this innocent animal whose natural-habitat has been trespassed by humans who have made a highway right through it," commented a Twitter user.

"How is that fault of the vehicle/driver? Unless he is driving in a restricted zone, he did absolutely his best to avoid the accident." said another.

"Sir, make elevated corridors but for animals to cross safely from one side to the other.Not for us humans..pl consult Singapore authorities who have successfully built Eco-link @ BKE and I have personally seen it. it's an excellent solution to this problem..pls do it ASAP," third user commented.