Guwahati, September 22, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday highlighted the state’s rhino conservation efforts on World Rhino Day, noting that Assam is home to nearly 80 per cent of the world’s greater one-horned rhinoceros population and 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 role as the world’s most important stronghold of the greater one-horned rhinoceros.
The figures come days after the International Rhino Foundation (IRF) released its 2026 State of the Rhino report, which estimated the global population of greater one-horned rhinos at 4,075, up from 4,014 in 2022.
Assam is home to around 3,260 greater one-horned rhinos, accounting for close to 80 per cent of the global population.
The state’s zero-poaching record is particularly significant given its history of rhino poaching. According to the IRF report, Assam recorded no known rhino poaching incidents in 2025, 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 heart of Assam’s rhino conservation programme, with more than 2,600 greater one-horned rhinos, making it home to the world’s largest single population of the species.
Conservation efforts have also focused on rebuilding rhino populations in other landscapes, including Manas National Park.
The decline in poaching has been associated with stronger intelligence gathering, coordinated enforcement, surveillance, frontline protection and community participation. A recent report on Kaziranga also highlighted an extensive anti-poaching network involving hundreds of camps, drones and specialised frontline teams.
However, conservation challenges remain as the rhino population expands. Habitat fragmentation, invasive vegetation, water shortages and increasing human activity continue to pose concerns for long-term conservation.
World Rhino Day is observed every year on September 22 to raise awareness about rhino conservation and threats such as poaching and habitat loss.
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