Rhino is left in a spin and unsteady on its feet after charging into a truck

Footage has been captured of a Rhino colliding with a truck on a highway in India, leaving the animal dazed yet unhurt by the incident.

The video shows the armoured beast charge into the side of the moving vehicle, with the collission sending the animal into a spin as the truck attempts to swerve out of its path.

After slipping to the ground as it attempts to retreat from the crash, the rhino manages to return to the safety of the surrounding woodland.

The incident took place in the Kaziranga National Park area in Assam, with the footage being posted on Twitter on October 9 by Himanta Biswa Sarma, the region’s chief minister, who launched this year’s tourist season at the park on September 22.  

On Twitter, Mr Sarma confirmed the driver had been punished, writing: ‘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.’

A debate was raised on the social media platform over who was at fault for the incident, with many coming out in defence of the driver. 

‘How can one blame the truck driver and fine him? I’ve seen the video 10 times (and) still couldn’t … find his mistake,’ one user said.

A rhino runs into the side of a truck on a highway in the Kaziranga National Park in India

The rhino is sent spinning after colliding with the truck, which was confirmed to be speeding

Unsteady on its feet, the animal falls after trying to recover from the incident

The rhino was spotted afterwards, seemingly unhurt from the collision

However, India media India media reported that the road’s speed limit is 25mph but the truck was driving at 32mph.  

Meanwhile, while some blamed the builders of the road for placing it so close to the wildlife reserve, Mr Sarma confirmed in his tweet that a solution was underway, with plans to build a ‘special 32-km (20-mile) elevated corridor,’ over the reserve.

Elevated roadways are common in protected areas, bypassing the habitats of local wildlife. 

The park’s history stretches back to 1904, when the Baroness Curzon of Kedleston, wife of the Viceroy of India, requested that her husband take measures to protect the rhinos the area was famous for, after she struggled to spot a single one.

A year later, a protected forest region was set up in the area, which was at first closed to visitors. It was expanded over the years, gradually being named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985.