World Rhino Day Image: India is home to the great one-horned rhino
World Rhino Day 2020: World Rhino Day is celebrated every year on September 22. The day provides an opportunity to work towards saving the animal, which has been the target of poachers for decades. Rhino horns are in great demand in many southeast Asian countries like China, Vietnam, Malaysia and Korea. The Chinese use it as an aphrodisiac and make traditional medicines with it. More than ever, rhinos need care and conservation now. Organisations and non-profit groups across the world are engaging in anti-poaching measures. India is home to the Greater Indian One-Horned Rhino commonly found in Assam and in neighbouring Nepal and Bhutan. The rhinos prefer tall grasslands and forests in the foothills of the Himalayas.
Apart from the Indian one-horned rhino, there are four other species which are famous. These include the Sumatran rhino, Black rhino, Javan rhino and the White rhino.
On World Rhino Day wildlife lovers have been tweeting pictures and videos of rhinos. "India is home to the largest number of Greater One-Horned Rhinoceros in the world with its population in the range of 3,000 animals in Assam, West Bengal & UP...". environment minister Prakash Javadekar tweeted.
The Chief Minister of Assam, Sarbananda Sonowal wrote on the microblogging site, "The Greater One-Horned Rhinoceros is Assam's pride and protecting them is our responsibility. On #WorldRhinoDay, become a part of our efforts to conserve these beautiful animals and together 'Save the Rhino'".
The Kaziranga National Park tweeted "Greetings on World Rhino Day" and posted "Let's celebrate the world's five #rhinoceros species and raise awareness for the conservation for these magnificent creatures."
Kaziranga is one of India's most well known wildlife sanctuaries spreading over 430 square km. It has elephant-grass meadows, swampy lagoons and dense forests home to more than 2,200 Indian one-horned rhinoceros, approximately two/third of their total world population. In the year 1985, the park was declared as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
Let's take a look at what wildlife lovers have been posting on social media.
Happy World Rhino Day 2020!