Rhino population-The Hindu-03-11-2022

GS-3
ENVIRONMENT
Context :
The study found that the rate of decline in horn length was highest in the critically endangered Sumatran rhino and lowest in the white rhino of Africa, the most commonly found species in the wild and in captivity

The Rhino population in Kaziranga National Park of Assam increases by 200 according to the latest census.
The population was 2413 in 2018 now it is 200 more which is a huge achievement for the future of Assam Wildlife in the country.
About Indian One-Horned Rhino

The greater one-horned rhino (or “Indian rhino”) is the largest of the rhino species.
Physical Appearance
Indian Rhinos are brownish-grey in colour and are hairless.
They have knobby skin that appears to be armour-plated. A single horn sits on top of their snout, and their upper lip is semi-prehensile.
The greater one-horned rhino is identified by a single black horn about 8-25 inches long and a grey-brown hide with skin folds, which gives it an armour-plated appearance.
Diet : They primarily graze, with a diet consisting almost entirely of grasses as well as leaves, branches of shrubs and trees, fruit, and aquatic plants.
Habitat:
It is confined to the tall grasslands and forests in the foothills of the Himalayas.
The Great one-horned rhino is commonly found in Nepal, Bhutan, Pakistan and in Assam, India.
Conservation Status: Greater One-Horned Rhinos (Rhinoceros unicornis): Vulnerable.
Conservation Efforts by India

The Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) has launched a National Conservation Strategy for Indian One-Horned Rhino and the conservation initiatives for rhino has also enriched the grassland management which helps in reducing the negative impacts of climate change through carbon sequestration.
New Delhi Declaration on Asian Rhinos 2019: Signed by India, Bhutan, Nepal, Indonesia and Malaysia to conserve and protect the rhinos.
Project to create DNA profiles of all rhinos by the Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC).
Indian Rhino Vision 2020:It is a unique programme where the government partnered international, national and local organisations for the conservation of the rhinos.
Under it, Manas has received a total of 22 rhinos from other protected areas.
The Indian and Nepalese governments have taken major steps toward Indian Rhinoceros conservation with the help of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).