Greater one-horned rhinos rebound past 4,000

The estimated global population of greater one-horned rhinos reached 4,075 in 2025, crossing 4,000 after falling below 100 in the early 1900s. The species survives in India and Nepal and remains classed as Vulnerable, but its long recovery stands out among the mixed fortunes of the world’s five rhino species. Assam holds about 80% of the total. Kaziranga National Park counted more than 2,600 in 2022, although some habitats, including Kaziranga, have not had a new census for the latest global estimate.

Protection from poaching has also improved sharply. India and Nepal reported no known rhino poaching in 2025. For Assam, it was only the second poaching-free year since the 1970s, following 2022, and a major change from the mid-2010s, when nearly 30 rhinos were killed in a single year. Conservation groups credit stronger intelligence, coordinated law enforcement, patrolling and surveillance, together with local involvement.

The next test is habitat. Invasive plants can crowd out the native grasses rhinos need and shrink their usable range. At Manas National Park, teams have cleared 123 acres of degraded grassland through 5,600 hours of work. Rhinos translocated or rewilded there have formed a breeding population, and females born in the park have produced calves. Healthy grasslands and connected habitats will help determine whether the wider recovery lasts.