Kaziranga Rhino

February 24, 2023

Context:

The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has sought a “factual report” on the rhino population enumeration, conducted in the Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve in March 2022.

About Rhino:

There are five species of rhino – white and black rhinos in Africa, and the greater one-horned, Javan and Sumatran rhino species in Asia.

Only the Great One-Horned Rhino is found in India.
Also known as Indian rhino, it is the largest of the rhino species.
It is identified by a single black horn and a grey-brown hide with skin folds.
Habitat:
- The species is restricted to small habitats in Indo-Nepal terai and northern West Bengal and Assam.
- In India, rhinos are mainly found in Assam, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh.
- Assam has an estimated 2,640 rhinos in four protected areas, i.e. Pabitora Wildlife Reserve, Rajiv Gandhi Orang National Park, Kaziranga National Park, and Manas National Park.
- About 2,400 of them are in the Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve (KNPTR).
IUCN Conservation Status: Vulnerable.

Conservation Efforts by India

New Delhi Declaration on Asian Rhinos 2019: Signed by India, Bhutan, Nepal, Indonesia and Malaysia to conserve and protect the rhinos.
Project to create DNA profiles of all rhinos by the Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC).
Indian Rhino Vision 2020: It is a unique programme where the government partnered international, national and local organisations for the conservation of the rhinos.
- Under it, Manas National Park has received a total of 22 rhinos from other protected areas.

News Source: The Hindu