In Nepal, the most recent rhino census in 2021 suggested 752 animals call the country home, an increase of 16% from the 645 individuals counted in 2015. And not a single animal was poached in Assam state in 2022, down from two rhinos in 2021. In Manas National Park, 47 rhinos were recently reintroduced. The governments of India and Nepal have worked extremely successfully to combat poaching and expand protected areas for rhinos. This species continues a remarkable resurgence, having numbered just 100 individuals a century or so ago. Perhaps the best news for rhino populations comes from the Greater one-horned rhino. Wild population estimate: 4,014 and increasing populations of this critically endangered species are growing Greater one-horned rhino A black rhino in Etosha National Park, Namibia. South Africa has the largest black rhino population in Africa, with more than 2,000 animals, although unfortunately, poaching has also been on the rise here. Poaching remains a threat, however, with 11 carcasses found in June 2022 alone. There are now more than 600 black rhinos in Zimbabwe and more than 1,000 white and black rhinos live in the country, the first time this figure has been reached in more than 30 years.Įtosha National Park in Namibia is home to the largest proportion of the world’s black rhinos, and numbers are steadily increasing here too. And this population has grown by 6%, with no poaching recorded. A population of 29 individuals was transported to Gonarezhou National Park in July 2021. In recent years, black rhinos numbers have increased strongly in Zimbabwe after being wiped out historically. It remains Critically Endangered on the IUCN Conservation Red List, but this population boost is a testament to the work done to protect the species.

The International Rhino Foundation estimates a 12% population increase in the species over the past few years, up from 5,495 individuals in 2017 to today’s figure. There is better news for the black rhino, which was brought to the brink of extinction by a poaching epidemic in the 1970s but continues its gradual recovery thanks to extensive rhino conservation. Wild population estimate: 6,195 and increasing A white rhino and calf in Lake Nakuru National Park, Kenya Black rhino And although white rhino numbers are falling, there is plenty of scope for the species to bounce back. After all, an Africa with no rhinos is a poorer Africa for tourists and locals alike. Hopefully, protection and anti-poaching efforts will be re-intensified as travel resumes. This was particularly potent in South Africa’s Kruger National Park, once a stronghold for the species. The COVID-19 pandemic, unfortunately, saw a resurgence in poaching, as people struggled to earn a living and tourism to Africa’s national parks collapsed. Classed as Near Threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), there is no immediate danger that the white rhino is under threat, although the northern white rhino subspecies is extinct in the wild, with just two ageing females kept under armed guard at all times in the Ol Pejeta Reserve in Kenya. It is thought that the wild population has fallen by around 12% in the past four years. The white rhino is the most common of the five rhino species, although common is the wrong word. Wild population estimate: 15,942 and decreasing Here’s how all five rhino species are doing in 2023, thanks to the most recent analysis by the International Rhino Foundation (data published in September 2022). And both number fewer than 100 animals in global populations. The incredibly rare Javan and Sumatran rhinos live almost exclusively on their namesake islands. Black and white rhinos are native to east and southern Africa and the greater one-horned rhino lives in India and Nepal. And the return of travel after the COVID-19 pandemic should help the situation too! So, read on to find out more about how wild rhino populations are doing in 2023.įirstly, it’s important to know that there are actually five distinct rhino species. Luckily, there are many dedicated people and organizations working on rhino conservation. But rhinos also suffer desperately from the action of mankind. The rhino is an incredible creature and one that fuels travel around the world as people flock to catch a glimpse of this iconic species in national parks. A member of the famous Big Five in Africa but unfortunately also targeted by poachers for its ivory horn. It’s one of the world’s most iconic and recognizable animals.

Northern white rhinoceros