Context: World Rhino Day is observed on September 22 every year to raise awareness and build a safe natural habitat for this incredible species. 
About the day

• World Rhino Day celebrates all five species of rhino: Black, white, greater one-horned, Sumatran and Javan rhinos.
• World Rhino Day was first announced by WWF-South Africa in 2010.
• World Rhino Day grew into an international success, encompassing both African and Asian rhino species.
• Theme of this year- Yes! “Five Rhino Species Forever” celebrates both the African and Asian rhino species.
• Reason: The main reason for the loss of the rhino population is poaching, climate change, and the destruction of their natural habitat.
• Today, approximately 75% of the entire population of Greater One-horned Rhinoceros now occurs in India in the three States viz, Assam, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.

Key facts

• Habitats of Rhino include Tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannahs and shrublands, tropical moist forests, deserts and shrublands. 

The scientific name and  conservation status of the five species are 

• Javan Rhinos (Rhinoceros sondaicus): Critically Endangered 
• Sumatran rhinos (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis): Critically Endangered 
• Black rhinos (Diceros bicornis): Critically Endangered 
• White rhinos (Ceratotherium simum): Near Threatened 
• Greater One-Horned Rhinos (Rhinoceros unicornis): Vulnerable

Rhinos have very poor eyesight. However, their poor eyesight in compensated by other senses. Rhinos can smell and hear people even when they are 30 metres away.

• Rhino horn comprises keratin. Keratin is a protein which forms the basis of human hair and nails.
• The African rhinoceros has a symbiotic relationship with oxpeckers. The bird sits on the back of rhinos and eats ticks. The bird also raises an alarm when it senses danger.
• A group of rhinoceros is referred to as a crash. Male rhinos are called bulls while females are called cows.
• Rhinos mark their territories by defecating around them.

Significance of that day

• World Rhino Day provides the opportunity for cause-related organizations, NGOs, zoos, and members of the public to celebrate in their own unique ways.
• Donors and partners are able to contribute to the organizations and initiatives of their choosing.
• Peaceful demonstrations, classroom projects, fundraising dinners, auctions and poster displays are just a few examples.

About Indian One-Horned Rhino

• India is home to the largest number of Greater One-Horned Rhinoceros in the world with the population in the range of 3000 animals in Assam, West Bengal and UP.
• The Environment Ministry 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.
• The National Rhino Conservation Strategy for India was launched last year to conserve the greater one-horned rhinoceros.
• This is a first of its kind for the species in India which aims to work for the conservation of the species under five objectives. The objectives include strengthening protection, expanding the distribution range, research and monitoring, and adequate and sustained funding.
• One-horned rhino was close to extinction with a population of less than 200 at the beginning of the 20th century. It is the only large mammal species in Asia to be down-listed from endangered to vulnerable in the International Union for Conservation of Nature, IUCN Red list in 2008.

Conservation Efforts for Rhinoceros in India
Indian Rhino Vision (IRV) 2020 programme

• The WHO-India launched Indian Rhino Vision (IRV) 2020 programme to protect and increase the population of the one-horned rhinoceros.
• It is an ambitious effort to attain a wild population of at least 3,000 greater one-horned rhinos spread over seven protected areas in the Indian state of Assam by the year 2020.
• National Conservation Strategy for the Indian One-Horned Rhinoceros
• It was launched in 2019 to conserve the greater one-horned rhinoceros.
• It is a first of its kind for the species in India which aims to work for the conservation of the species under five objectives which include strengthening protection, expanding the distribution range, research and monitoring, and adequate and sustained funding.
• Its goal is to repopulate Rhinoceros population in those areas also which used to hold the Rhinoceros earlier by augmenting the existing conservation efforts and strengthening them through scientific and administrative measures.

New Delhi Declaration on Asian Rhinos 2019

• India and four rhino range nations have signed a declaration ‘The New Delhi Declaration on Asian Rhinos 2019’ for the conservation and protection of the species.
• India will collaborate with Bhutan, Nepal, Indonesia and Malaysia to increase the population of three species of Asian rhinos, including the Greater one-horned rhinoceros found in the Indian sub-continent.
• The declaration was signed to conserve and review the population of the Greater one-horned, Javan and Sumatran rhinos every four years to reassess the need for joint actions to secure their future.