Rhino population on the increase

The Rhino population rises by 12 in 3 years from only 366 in the late sixties to 2413 today at the Kaziranga National `Park in Assam, India, which holds about 70 per cent of one-horned rhinos of the world.

“People literally have to ride on elephant backs and SUVs to count rhinos for the census and burn patches of tall grass from enhancing visibility.

The one-horned rhino is listed as a vulnerable species by the International Union of Conservation of Nature Kaziranga – a UNESCO world heritage site – is home to the largest population of the animal in the world. Despite several security measures rhinos do get poached in the national park and several also die in the floods in Assam every year. The Rhino horn is smuggled through Nagaland and Manipur into South East Asian countries where it is considered am aphrodisiac. One horn could potentially fetch around £110, 000 in the black market.