# Javan Rhino — Facts, Threats & Conservation

*Rhinoceros sondaicus*

> The Javan rhinoceros is the rarest of all rhino species, with roughly 70 individuals surviving in a single national park on Java, Indonesia. Smaller than the Indian rhino at 900–2,300 kg (2,000–5,000 lb), it has a single horn and nearly hairless grey skin, and is Critically Endangered from historic hunting and tiny range.

**IUCN status:** Critically Endangered  ·  **WARN range:** Asia

## Quick facts
| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Scientific name | Rhinoceros sondaicus |
| Diet | Herbivore — shoots, twigs, fallen fruit, and leaves |
| Habitat | Dense tropical rainforest and tall grass in lowland Java |
| Lifespan | 30–45 years in the wild |
| Weight | 900–2,300 kg (2,000–5,000 lb); males larger |
| Top speed | Up to 30 km/h (19 mph) in short charge |
| Conservation status | Critically Endangered (IUCN) |

## Scientific classification
- **Kingdom:** Animalia
- **Phylum:** Chordata
- **Class:** Mammalia
- **Order:** Perissodactyla
- **Family:** Rhinocerotidae
- **Genus:** Rhinoceros

## Conservation status
- **Status:** Critically Endangered (IUCN Red List)
- **Population:** See the IUCN Red List assessment
- **Trend:** Stable
- **Assessed:** 2020
- **CITES:** See CITES appendices
- Key documented threats: Poaching for horn; A single, tiny isolated population; Vulnerability to disease and natural disasters; Invasive Arenga palm reducing habitat.

## Key facts: Javan Rhino
- All surviving Javan rhinos live in Ujung Kulon National Park at the western tip of Java — a peninsula isolated by the 1883 Krakatau eruption and tsunami.
- Unlike grass-grazing white rhinos, Javan rhinos browse woody vegetation in dense rainforest, using a pointed upper lip to strip shoots and fallen fruit.
- With fewer than 80 individuals, the Javan rhino is the rarest large mammal on Earth.

## Where do the last Javan rhinos live?
All surviving Javan rhinos live in Ujung Kulon National Park at the western tip of Java — a peninsula isolated by the 1883 Krakatau eruption and tsunami. No Javan rhinos remain in their former range across Southeast Asia, Vietnam, or India. One park is the entire species. That is the conservation fact that matters more than any adjective.

## What do Javan rhinos eat?
Unlike grass-grazing white rhinos, Javan rhinos browse woody vegetation in dense rainforest, using a pointed upper lip to strip shoots and fallen fruit. They follow regular trails through undergrowth and wallow in mud to cool and deter insects. Invasive Arenga palm crowding out food plants is therefore a direct threat, not landscaping trivia.

## How rare is the Javan rhino?
With fewer than 80 individuals, the Javan rhino is the rarest large mammal on Earth. The last Javan rhino in Vietnam was poached in 2010. Every birth in Ujung Kulon is monitored by camera traps — the population is too small to survive a disease outbreak or natural disaster. Roughly 70–75 is the range this guide already published; it is not a new census.

## Why is a second population so hard?
Plans to establish a second population on Java or elsewhere have progressed slowly due to habitat requirements, tsunami risk at Ujung Kulon, and the invasive Arenga palm crowding out rhino food plants. Anti-poaching success means natural threats now dominate. A second site is insurance; it is also slow, expensive, and easy to announce before the habitat is actually ready.

## Does WARN run a Javan rhino programme?
WARN does not operate in Ujung Kulon or manage the last Javan rhinos. This guide provides educational context. The rhino appeal separately describes proposed eligible support and its funding status; a species range country is not evidence of a grant relationship.

## What WARN does
WARN publishes this guide for education and is developing support through assessed animal-welfare grants. A species range, source citation or photograph does not establish a recipient or funding agreement. Check /about/where-your-money-goes/#grant-register for published grant and payment records; records not yet published must not be read as zero activity. Browse /appeals/ for the purposes currently available to support.

If clear, science-based wildlife guides like this help you understand and value animals, please consider supporting the World Animal Rescue Network's educational and rescue work so we can keep producing them.

## Frequently asked questions: Javan Rhino
### How many Javan rhinos are left?
Roughly 70–75 individuals, all in Ujung Kulon National Park on Java, Indonesia — the rarest rhino species and one of the rarest mammals on Earth.

### Javan rhino vs Indian rhino?
Javan rhinos are smaller, nearly hairless, and have a single horn. Indian (greater one-horned) rhinos are larger with armour-like skin folds and number over 4,000 in India and Nepal.

### Why are Javan rhinos Critically Endangered?
Historic hunting for horn and habitat loss eliminated them across Asia. The entire species now depends on one small park vulnerable to tsunami, disease, and invasive plants.

### Do Javan rhinos have two horns?
Usually one horn, rarely two — unlike African rhinos which typically have two horns (though black rhinos also have one primary horn).

### What do javan rhinos eat?
Javan Rhinos eat Herbivore — shoots, twigs, fallen fruit, and leaves. The Javan rhinoceros is the rarest of all rhino species, with roughly 70 individuals surviving in a single national park on Java, Indonesia.

### Where do javan rhinos live?
Javan Rhinos live in Dense tropical rainforest and tall grass in lowland Java. The Javan rhinoceros is the rarest of all rhino species, with roughly 70 individuals surviving in a single national park on Java, Indonesia.

### Are javan rhinos dangerous?
Javan Rhinos are not generally dangerous to people. The Javan rhinoceros is the rarest of all rhino species, with roughly 70 individuals surviving in a single national park on Java, Indonesia. Give wild individuals space and do not corner or handle them.

### How long do javan rhinos live?
Javan Rhinos typically live 30–45 years in the wild. The Javan rhinoceros is the rarest of all rhino species, with roughly 70 individuals surviving in a single national park on Java, Indonesia. Wild and captive figures can differ; use the sources listed on the guide for the underlying studies.

### How big is a javan rhino?
A Javan Rhino is about 30–45 years in the wild. The Javan rhinoceros is the rarest of all rhino species, with roughly 70 individuals surviving in a single national park on Java, Indonesia. Conservation status: Critically Endangered (IUCN).

## Sources
- [IUCN Red List — Javan Rhino](https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/19495/18493900)
- [Wikipedia — Javan Rhino](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Javan_rhinoceros)
- [Wikidata — Javan Rhino](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q170311)

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Full guide: https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/javan-rhino