Bandung, IndonesiaSentinel.com — According to the International Rhino Foundations (IRF), back in 1970 there are approximately 70.000 rhinos roamed Africa and Asia, but how many rhinos are left on earth today?
Rhinos, one of the world’s most iconic and endangered species, continue to face critical challenges in their fight for survival. As of 2023, all five species of rhinoceros are under threat, with some nearing extinction due to poaching and habitat loss. Conservation efforts have helped stabilize some species, but others remain on the brink.
International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Rhino Specialist group has reported the estimated remaining rhinos from all of 5 species left on earth in 2023. Here’s the list:
1. White Rhino (Ceratotherium simum)
IUCN Estimated Population : 16,803
Trend : Decreasing
Conservation Status : Near Threatened (Southern white rhino)
Habitat : Southern Africa (South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Kenya)
The White Rhinos are divided into two subspecies which the Southern White Rhinos (C.s. simum) and Northern White Rhinos (C.s. cottoni). Historically The Southern White Rhino is one of the conservation successes, this rhinos made an incredible comeback from fewer than 100 individuals in the early 1900s to more than 21,000 at the end of 2012.
However, the Northern White Rhino is functionally extinct, with only two females left under strict protection in Kenya’s Ol Pejeta Conservancy. Despite increased anti-poaching efforts, the white rhino population has declined due to poaching for their horns, which are highly valued in black markets, particularly in Asia.
2. Black Rhino (Diceros bicornis)
IUCN Estimated Population : 6,400
Trend : Increasing
Conservation Status : Critically Endangered
Habitat : Eastern and Southern Africa (Kenya, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Namibia, South Africa)
The Black Rhino remains critically endangered, although conservation programs have led to a slow recovery in recent years. Black rhinos were once on the verge of extinction, with their population dropping to around 2,300 in the mid 1990s.
Today, they number around 6,400, primarily in Kenya, Namibia, and South Africa. Despite this positive trend, black rhinos are still heavily targeted by poachers, and their populations remain fragile.
3. Greater One-Horned Rhino (Rhinoceros unicornis)
IUCN Estimated Population : 4,014
Trend : Increasing
Conservation Status : Vulnerable
Habitat : India and Nepal
The Greater One-Horned Rhino, native to India and Nepal, has made a remarkable recovery thanks to dedicated conservation efforts. Back in 1980, fewer than 1,500 individuals remained, but today their population has grown to around 4,000.
Sumatran Tiger in the Face of Extinction
Though the greater one-horned rhino population is growing, the species is still classified as Vulnerable. Poaching remains a significant threat, and the species has been driven from many of the areas where it used to be common .
4. Sumatran Rhino (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis)
IUCN Estimated Population : 34-47
Trend : Decreasing
Conservation Status : Critically Endangered
Habitat : Indonesia (Sumatra and Borneo)
The Sumatran Rhino is the smallest and most critically endangered of all rhino species, with 34-47 individuals remaining in the wild. Their last remaining strongholds are in Indonesia’s tropical rainforests, particularly in Way Kambas and Bukit Barisan Selatan National Parks in Sumatra and the Bornean rainforest.
There has been no evidence of Sumatran rhino poaching found for over a decade, there also have been no naturally occurring carcasses discovered either, making the species’ disappearance even more of a mystery. The beacon of hope for the species is the breeding program at the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary, a protected, semi-wild facility in Sumatra that has produced three calves and continues its breeding efforts to create an insurance population of rhinos.
5. Javan Rhino (Rhinoceros sondaicus)
IUCN Estimated Population : 76
Trend : Stable
Conservation Status : Critically Endangered
Habitat : Indonesia (Ujung Kulon National Park, Java)
The Javan rhino species is now only exists in one country, in one national park which is Indonesia’s Ujung Kulon National Park (UKNP). Once ranging throughout southeast Asia, Javan rhinos have been hunted to near extinction with a single, small population remaining.
UKNP has conducted intensive Javan rhino population monitoring since 1967, when the Park estimated that just 25 individuals remained. Since then, the population has been slowly increasing to an estimated high of 76 rhinos in 2022.
Unfortunately, earlier this year Indonesia’s Ministry of Environment and Forestry noted that 15 of these 76 individuals have not been identified on camera traps for the last three years (recently, three of these individuals have been accounted for). It is not known whether these rhinos have simply avoided detection by camera traps, passed away naturally or been poached
Causes of Population Decline
Poaching for rhino horn is the greatest threat to all five rhino species. Across the globe, rhino populations that were once considered less threatened have seemingly become the primary target of poaching efforts, which are orchestrated by highly organized, transnational criminal syndicates.
The survival of rhinos depends heavily on continued conservation efforts, including stronger anti-poaching laws, habitat preservation, and international cooperation. While species like the southern white rhino and greater one-horned rhino have shown signs of recovery, others like the Sumatran and Javan rhinos are in desperate need of increased attention. The fate of these iconic animals remains uncertain, but with sustained global action, there is hope for their survival.
While there is approximately 70,000 rhinos exist back in 1970, it is estimated that 27,000 rhinos are left on earth.
(Raidi/Agung)
