Black rhinoceros - Namibia photo: WWF-Canon / Frederick J. WEYERHAEUSER

Currently, WWF has a three tiered strategy for rhino conservation: Protecting wild rhinos, ensuring adequate habitat size and reducing fragmentation, and decreasing demand for rhino horn products.

In Asia, WWF supports programs in Nepal, India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam. In Africa, efforts are concentrated in Namibia and Zimbabwe.

AFRICA
WWF's Emergency African Rhino Fund was set up for emergency, catalytic and strategic response to rhino conservation and management demands on short notice. The Fund has provided support for antipoaching in Etosha National Park, Namibia and rhino field operations in the Zimbabwe lowveld conservancies. The fund has also provided support for the day-to-day activities of the IUCN African Rhino Specialist Group.

Black Rhino Conservation in Namibia's Etosha National Park - Namibia has one of the largest black rhino populations in the world and Etosha National Park in Namibia contains about 72 percent of this population. The active protection and management of Etosha's black rhino population has seen great success. However, this success in conservation could attract potential poachers. Therefore, antipoaching efforts must be kept high. WWF is monitoring the population and working on identifying each individual member in order to ensure prompt detection of any outbreak of further poaching. Individual rhinos are either recognized by a distinctive natural characteristic or because they have been captured and "ear notched." When a rhino is "ear notched" it is tranquilized and a small triangle is cut into its ear. The placement of notches on the rhino's ears determines its number and makes it easily identifiable. WWF is also providing support for aerial block-count surveys.

ASIA
Nepal Translocations of the Greater One-horned Rhino - In March 2003, WWF aided in the translocation of 10 greater one-horned rhinos from Royal Chitwan National Park to Royal Bardia National Park. This is part of a strategy to establish additional rhino populations outside Royal Chitwan National Park and brings the total number of rhinos in Bardia to 100. It is critical that WWF protects the one-horned rhino from any natural and other disasters by developing a second home for this endangered species. WWF also seeks to minimize the incidence of human-rhino conflicts in Royal Chitwan.

Ujung Kulon, Last Refuge for Javan Rhinos - WWF has been active since 1964 in Indonesia's Ujung Kulon National Park (now a World Heritage Site) which spans almost 300,000 acres and is located on the westernmost tip of Java. Due to the fact that Java is one of the most densely populated areas on the planet, nearly all of the forest, the main habitat of Javan rhinos, has been destroyed. Thus, the Javan rhino is threatened with habitat loss which, coupled with poaching, has all but destroyed the population. However, antipoaching patrols and habitat protection efforts supported by WWF, the International Rhino Foundation and other conservation partners, have helped Ujung Kulon's rhino population recover from 21-28 rhinos in 1967 to 50-60 rhinos as of 2001.

Cat Tien, Vietnam's Last Rhinos - In the 1980s, a small population of 7-10 Javan rhinos, thought to be extinct in Vietnam, was discovered clinging to survival in an unprotected Vietnamese forest. WWF is dedicated to supporting the conservation of Javan rhino habitat in Cat Tien National Park, Vietnam. In 1992, the Vietnamese government demarcated a 76,600 acre area as the Cat Loc Rhino Sanctuary and in 1999 administratively integrated the sanctuary with Cat Tien National Park. In order to prevent encroachment from local communities, WWF is helping the Vietnamese authorities to redraw the boundaries of this protected area which would place heavily populated farm areas outside of park boundaries. This strategy will allow the rhinos more access to key areas that they could not use due to human presence. WWF is also helping to improve the infrastructure of the Park, building guard posts, for example, and is continuing to monitor the rhino population.