Overview

• The International Rhino Foundation’s 2025 State of the Rhino report counts roughly 27,000 animals worldwide and cautions against the “shifting baseline” trap.
• White rhinos fell to 15,752, Javan rhinos to about 50, and Sumatran rhinos are estimated at 34–47, while black rhinos rose to 6,788 and greater one‑horned rhinos to 4,075.
• South Africa remains a focal point for enforcement and crime, with August arrests of six alleged traffickers including breeder John Hume on racketeering, theft and money‑laundering charges.
• Conservation measures show targeted gains, with dehorning in Greater Kruger linked to a 78% drop in poaching and 70 southern white rhinos rewilded to Rwanda’s Akagera National Park in June.
• Persistent demand keeps trafficking lucrative, prompting trials of detection tactics such as injecting harmless radioactive isotopes into horns to help intercept smuggled products at borders.