Rhino numbers rise: Assam, India protects majority of species
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The global population of greater one-horned rhinos reached 4,075, a record number, with Assam, India, holding nearly 80% of the total population.
In the early 1900s, fewer than 100 of these rhinos remained. Now, Assam’s Kaziranga National Park shelters over 2,600, and India as a whole is home to 3,323 rhinos, while Nepal has around 752. The Indian state of Assam has seen success in protecting the species through strengthened protection efforts, field enforcement, and consistent conservation work.
Between 2000 and 2021, poachers killed at least 191 rhinos in Assam, with the highest numbers occurring in 2013 and 2014, but the state recorded zero poaching incidents in both 2022 and 2023. To combat poaching, the Assam government formed a Special Anti-Poaching Task Force in June 2021. This force coordinates with police, uses technology like drones and CCTV, and works with local communities.
The government also destroyed nearly 2,500 seized rhino horns in September 2021 to discourage demand fueled by superstitions about the horns' medicinal properties.
