There are many faces to the biodiversity crisis. The rhino is one. In recent decades, numbers have plummeted due to poaching. Only two northern white rhinos remain on Earth today; a mother or daughter.
However, this week’s positive news was good news for species in Asia. They have been the subject conservation efforts. The number of one-horned rhinos in India and Nepal has risen to 4,014 people, according to a census.
“For a species that was once perilously close to extinction, numbering fewer than 100 individuals, this recovery is truly remarkable,” said Nina Fascione, executive director of the International Rhino Foundation.
The greater one-horned population increased by 274 since the last count, helped by a ‘baby boom’ during the pandemic when protected areas were closed to visitors.
“The recovery of the greater one-horned rhino is a conservation success story – but the story isn’t over yet,” said Fascione. “The species is still classified as vulnerable and inhabits only a fraction of its former range.”
Image: Nejib Ahmed
