A female rhino that had been ill for the past six years was found dead in the Shishawar area of Devchuli Municipality on Saturday.

According to Abinash Thapa, information officer at Chitwan National Park, the 32-year-old rhino was found dead in a mango orchard.

Thapa said the rhino, which had made the orchard its habitat for years, had been sick for some time. Veterinarians from the National Trust for Nature Conservation had been providing treatment to the animal on several occasions.

The horn and hooves of the rhino have been secured, he said.

With this, five rhinos have died in Chitwan National Park since mid-July. Last fiscal year, 28 rhinos died in the park, which currently has a total of 694 rhinos, according to the latest census.