Photo Courtesy: India Today Group
Guwahati: Assam recorded zero known rhino poaching incidents in 2025. This achievement appears in the 2026 State of the Rhino report from the International Rhino Foundation. It is a rare win. The state last hit this milestone in 2022, which was the only other year since the 1970s to see no killings.
Assam hosts nearly 80 percent of the world's greater one-horned rhinos. The estimated population stands at 3,260. Kaziranga National Park holds over 2,600 of these animals. That is 70 percent of the global population. Manas National Park supports another 40 to 50 rhinos.
Progress remains fragile. During the mid-2010s, poachers killed nearly 30 rhinos annually. The shift arrived through smarter intelligence gathering and better surveillance. Local communities and frontline forest staff kept watch. "The report stressed that simply expanding the geographical range of rhinos does not automatically translate into successful conservation."
Global numbers show a slow climb. The International Union for Conservation of Nature counts 4,075 individuals, up from 4,014 in 2022. Despite this, the species remains vulnerable. Invasive plants and habitat loss threaten the animals. Nepal also reported zero poaching in 2025, marking its tenth time hitting that goal since 2011.
Manas National Park serves as a model for rewilding. Between 2006 and 2021, authorities moved 22 rhinos to the park. Staff also rewilded 20 orphaned or injured animals. These rhinos are now breeding. The challenge now shifts to habitat quality. Conservationists must manage water sources and clear invasive vegetation to sustain the growing population.
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