One-Horned Rhino
About One-Horned Rhino:
- The greater one-horned rhino (or “Indian rhino”) is the largest of the rhino species and is native to Indian subcontinent.
- Once widespread across the entire northern part of the Indian sub-continent, rhino populations decreased as they were hunted for sport or killed as agricultural pests.
- This pushed the species very close to extinction and by the start of the 20thcentury, around 200 wild greater one-horned rhinos remained.
- The recovery of the greater one-horned rhino is among the greatest conservation success stories in Asia.
- With strict protection and management from Indian and Nepalese wildlife authorities, the greater one-horned rhino was brought back from the brink.
- Today populations have increased to around 3,700 rhinos in northeastern India and the Terai grasslands of Nepal.
Range of Indian Rhino
- Pobitora wildlife sanctuary in Assam has the world’s highest concentration of Indian onehorned rhinos: 107 in just 38.81 sq km.
Conservation status:
- IUCN status: Vulnerable
- WPA,1972: Schedule 1
- CITES: Appendix 1
Syllabus: Prelims + Mains; GS3 – Environment; species in news
