A 52-year-old man was killed by a rhinoceros on Thursday morning while cutting grass in a buffer zone near Chitwan National Park, officials said.

Sanischara Darai, a resident of Syaule Tole in ward 6 of Rapti Municipality, was attacked around 6am in the Bhasamadi Lower Lake area of the Rapti Ekata Buffer Zone Community Forest, said Nawaraj Pathak, chair of the local buffer zone users committee.

“He had gone early in the morning to collect grass. A sickle, an empty sack and a bundle of grass were found at the site,” Pathak said. Darai died at the scene.

Avinash Thapa Magar, a conservation officer and spokesperson for the park, confirmed the incident and urged locals to exercise caution in areas frequented by wild animals.

Fatal encounters with wildlife such as rhinos, tigers, elephants and crocodiles are reported regularly in buffer zones surrounding the park, which adjoins four districts. Park authorities say between five and 25 people are killed in such incidents each year.