Rhino chases man as he comes out during lockdown (with video)

CHITWAN: A rhino in Chitwan National Park was seen patrolling the streets.

A viral video shared by Indian Forest Services officer Parveen Kaswan shows a mostly-deserted street in Nepal, near the Chitwan National Park.

Taking social distancing to the extreme, just one look at the rhino’s fearsome horn was enough to send the man scarpering to safety, eliciting laughs and cheers from those nearby.

The rhino briefly gave chase before losing interest, having proven its point about staying at home, and carried on its nonchalant stroll. The footage has garnered over 9,000 likes and over 120,000 views since it was posted on Monday, RT reported

Many applauded the rhino’s efforts in helping the Nepalese to fight off the spread of coronavirus infection.

So this #rhino thought to take things in his own hand. Went for an inspection. Btw rhino venturing out from forest happens a lot, even without lockdown. Forward. pic.twitter.com/Ck1sft3Emb

— Parveen Kaswan (@ParveenKaswan) April 6, 2020

A nationwide lockdown has been imposed in Nepal since March 24 to prevent the spread of coronavirus. It was initially supposed to last just one week but has since been extended until April 15. Nepal has nine confirmed cases of coronavirus infection, no deaths and one person has recovered, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center.

Rhino sightings are apparently common in the vicinity of the national park, which reportedly has a rather sizable rhino population.