The Indian rhino weighs up to two tonnes but is killed for the few kilos on the end of its nose. Find out why anti-poaching teams are urgently needed to protect the Indian rhino in its stronghold, Kaziranga, the oldest National Park in India.

At a glance
Rhinos have lived on earth for 40 million years but it has taken just half of one century to bring each of the five remaining species to the brink of extinction. Like all rhinos, the Indian rhino has suffered tremendously from relentless hunting for its horn. Poachers have killed enormous numbers, and the species has disappeared from many parts of its former range.

What is the threat?
Many people believe that rhino horn has special medicinal properties. For example, in parts of northern India and elsewhere it is used as an aphrodisiac. In China and neighbouring countries in the Far East it is popular for treating fevers, headaches, heart and liver problems and skin diseases.

However any success in these treatments is purely psychological. Eating rhino horn is the equivalent of biting your nails - it is made of keratin, a hair-like substance that also forms the basis of hooves and fingernails. There is also market for rhino horn in the Yemen, for use as traditional decoration for dagger handles known as 'jamboyya'. 

'Kilo for kilo, rhino horn is five times more valuable than gold. This is what keeps the illegal Indian rhino-horn market going, and why poachers risk so much to get it.'

What are charities doing to help?

The David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation (DSWF) is protecting the Indian rhino in Kaziranga National Park by supporting Aaranyak, a charity dedicated to saving the Indian rhino. Constant guard is required to catch and convict poachers and it is dangerous work. The hunters tend to stop at nothing to kill the rhinos. Several hundreds of poachers and forest staff have been killed in gun battles during the last few decades.

More about the DSWF
In 1995 DSWF provided funding for vitally needed radio-communications equipment for Kaziranga and Orang National Park. This equipment immediately enabled forest staff to report poaching incidents and call for reinforcements. Its arrival hugely improved the morale of staff, who routinely faced gangs of heavily armed poachers with nothing but their own outdated equipment.

As a result, rhino-poaching incidents were reduced by half in the following five years, with deaths down to single figures. However, with ever-increasing pressure from the traditional Chinese medicine trade, this figure is once again on rise. Working with forest officials and guards, Aaranyak and DSWF have also helped to change attitudes to poaching on the southern edges of the park. In the north the threat is still ever present.

Did you know?

• Indian rhinos have scent glands on their forefeet, and leave scent trails for other rhinos to smell.
• A group of rhinos is called a 'crash'.
• In spite of weighing in at around 2.2 tonnes and looking rather awkward, rhinos are surprisingly agile animals, reaching speeds of up to 55kmph. They are also remarkably good swimmers.
• The male rhino marks his territory with dung piles measuring up to a metre high.
• Rhinos in general have pretty poor vision. If you keep still they are unlikely to see you if you are more than 30m away. In the early 19th century, there were around one million rhinos on the planet. Today only 17,000 of the five different species remain.

What can I do to help?

• Visit Kaziranga, a World Heritage site and India's first National Park. It is an area of outstanding natural beauty with riverine swamps and grasslands, bordered by the mighty Brahmaputra river flowing from the Himalayas. Tourism will encourage local support for rhino conservation and deter poachers.
• Enter DSWF's new ‘Wildlife Artist of the Year’ competition. In partnership with BBC Saving Planet Earth, the competition is open to amateur and professional artists worldwide.