The greater one-horned rhino was nearly wiped out — just 200 left a century ago. Now over 4,000 exist, and in 2025 the species returned to Dudhwa Tiger Reserve in northern India for the first time in over 100 years.
A Species Pulled Back from the Brink
The greater one-horned rhinoceros once roamed the entire Terai belt from Pakistan to Myanmar. By the early 20th century, hunting and habitat loss had reduced the global population to roughly 200 animals — a species on the edge of oblivion.
Decades of rigorous protection at Kaziranga National Park in Assam and Chitwan National Park in Nepal reversed the collapse. The population now exceeds 4,000 individuals — one of conservation's great comebacks.
>> "Where rhinos walk, healthy floodplain ecosystems follow."
Returning to Ancestral Ground
The Terai lowlands of Uttar Pradesh — the rhino's ancestral home — had been silent for over a century. In 2025, WWF India and the Uttar Pradesh Forest Department launched a series of reintroduction operations into Dudhwa Tiger Reserve.
By 2026, eight free-ranging mature rhinos walk Dudhwa's floodplains. Calves have already been spotted in the reserve — the next generation born on ancestral ground.
A first attempt at Dudhwa reintroduction was made in 1984 with animals from Nepal, but the population struggled. This second wave, backed by modern wildlife management and community engagement, is already showing stronger results.
The Numbers
- 200 — population at the species' lowest point (~1900s)
- 4,000+ — global population today
- 8 — free-ranging rhinos now in Dudhwa Tiger Reserve
- Calves confirmed born in the reserve in 2026
The greater one-horned rhino can weigh up to 2,700 kg and sprint at 55 km/h — the second-largest land animal in Asia after the Asian elephant. Despite its bulk, it is a powerful swimmer, crossing the Brahmaputra and its tributaries with ease.