Once home to nearly 100 rhinos, Assam’s Manas National Park lost its entire population to poaching and unrest. Three decades later, the animals are breeding again in the park’s restored grasslands.
Assam | September 22, 2026
In a significant development for wildlife conservation, the population of greater one-horned rhinoceroses in Assam’s Manas National Park has crossed 50, marking a recovery from the local extinction of the species in the early 1990s.
Assam Environment and Forest Minister Jayanta Malla Baruah announced the milestone on World Rhino Day, September 22. He attributed the recovery to reintroduction programmes, habitat restoration, improved protection and the involvement of local communities.
From Nearly 100 Rhinos to None
Manas once supported an estimated 75–100 rhinos. However, prolonged unrest and widespread poaching devastated its wildlife during the late 1980s and early 1990s.
By 1993, the park’s rhino population was considered wiped out. The violence also damaged forest infrastructure and severely affected other wildlife, including tigers.
The ecological damage was so extensive that UNESCO placed Manas on its List of World Heritage in Danger in 1992.
Reintroducing Rhinos to Their Former Home
The restoration of peace created an opportunity to bring rhinos back to Manas.
Beginning in the mid-2000s, conservation agencies undertook a carefully managed recovery programme involving the rehabilitation of rescued rhinos and the translocation of animals from other protected areas in Assam.
Under Indian Rhino Vision 2020, rhinos were moved from established populations in Kaziranga National Park and Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary to Manas. Habitat management, monitoring and protection measures accompanied the releases.
The results became visible over time. Assam Forest Department records show that Manas had five rhinos in 2009, 22 in 2012, 30 in 2015 and 36 in 2018.
The latest announcement that the population has crossed 50 represents another milestone in this long-term recovery.
Breeding in the Wild Signals Progress
The most encouraging aspect of the recovery is that rhinos are now breeding within Manas.
Successful reproduction indicates that the reintroduced animals are adapting to their habitat and that the population is no longer dependent solely on bringing in animals from elsewhere.
However, the population remains relatively small. Continued monitoring of births, deaths, breeding success and habitat conditions will be necessary to assess its long-term viability.
Three Years Without Known Rhino Poaching
According to Minister Baruah, Manas has recorded no known rhino-poaching incidents for three consecutive years.
Improved protection has been an important part of the park’s recovery, alongside habitat restoration and community participation.
The involvement of people living around Manas is particularly significant because the park’s earlier decline was closely linked to a period of conflict that disrupted conservation activities.
A UNESCO World Heritage Site Restored
Manas was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985 and a biosphere reserve in 1989.
After nearly two decades on the World Heritage in Danger list, it was removed from that list in 2011 following improvements in protection and conservation management.
The return of rhinos adds another chapter to the restoration of this internationally important wildlife landscape.
A Conservation Lesson Beyond Manas
The recovery demonstrates that a species can return to a landscape even after local extinction, provided the causes of its disappearance are addressed.
Manas benefited from a combination of restored security, suitable habitat, animals supplied from other populations, sustained monitoring and community involvement.
Its rhino population has now crossed 50, but the work is far from complete. Protecting breeding females, ensuring calf survival, maintaining healthy grasslands and preventing a resurgence of poaching will determine whether the population continues to grow.
For Manas, the most important achievement is not simply that rhinos have returned—it is that a new generation is being born in the wild.
Source credit: The Telegraph / PTI, September 22, 2026 . Additional background: Assam Forest Department and historical rhino-conservation records.
Leave a Reply