The population status of the greater one-horned rhino in India and Nepal, and the importance of regular monitoring

Abstract

The greater one-horned rhino (GOH), (Rhinoceros unicornis) is one of the largest in number of the five existing rhino species. Until recently the GOH rhino was prominently found to occupy areas along the Indus-Ganges-Brahmaputra valley. The GOH is an iconic species in India, and currently even though the population numbers seem to be healthy, the distribution is mainly confined to small pockets in Nepal and India with the majority of the population confined to a single protected area (PA). Hunting and habitat destruction pushed the species to the brink of extinction, and by the early 20 th century only around 200 were found (Rookmaaker et al. 2016). However, effective protection and conservation measures along with active population management including range expansion programmes have helped the species recover to its present status.