Assam hosts 80 pc of world’s rhinos, zero poaching: Himanta Sarma

On World Rhino Day, Assam highlighted progress in greater one-horned rhino conservation, with nearly 80 per cent of the global population in the state and zero known poaching incidents in 2025. Kaziranga remains the species’ largest single population globally

Guwahati: On World Rhino Day, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday highlighted the state’s growing success in rhino conservation, pointing to two significant figures — nearly 80 per cent of the world’s greater one-horned rhinoceros population is found in Assam, while the state recorded zero known rhino poaching incidents in 2025.

“On this World Rhino Day, we let the numbers do the talking!” Sarma said in a post on X, highlighting Assam’s position as the world’s most important stronghold of the greater one-horned rhinoceros.

---

The latest figures come days after the International Rhino Foundation (IRF) released its ‘2026 State of the Rhino’ report, which said the global population of greater one-horned rhinos had increased to an estimated 4,075, from 4,014 in 2022.

Assam is home to around 3,260 of these rhinos, accounting for close to 80 per cent of the global population. The zero-poaching milestone is particularly significant given Assam’s history of rhino poaching.

According to the IRF report, Assam recorded no known rhino poaching in 2025, marking only the second such year since the 1970s. The state had previously recorded zero known poaching incidents in 2022. Kaziranga National Park remains at the centre of Assam’s rhino conservation efforts, with more than 2,600 greater one-horned rhinos, making it the largest single population of the species globally.

Conservation efforts have also focussed on rebuilding rhino populations in other landscapes, including Manas National Park.

The decline in poaching has been linked to stronger Intelligence gathering, coordinated enforcement, surveillance, frontline protection and community participation.

A recent report on Kaziranga also highlighted an extensive anti-poaching network, including hundreds of camps, drones and specialised frontline teams. However, conservationists have cautioned that preventing poaching is only one part of the challenge.

Habitat fragmentation, invasive vegetation, water shortages and human activity remain concerns as Assam’s rhino population grows. World Rhino Day is observed annually on September 22 to raise awareness about rhino conservation and threats including poaching and habitat loss.