The rhino crisis episode is now available online.

Last night’s highly anticipated episode of NBC’s “Rock Center with Brian Williams” did an outstanding job of bringing the rhino crisis to the American TV audience.

Prior to last night, most of America had probably not seen the horrifying images of dead and dying rhinos, which have unfortunately become a regular sight for some of us.

If you are outside the US or missed the rhino segment (or want to watch it again), it is now available online here.

Check out a few clips from last night’s Rock Center:

“They believe it can cure cancer. But it can’t.”

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

“South Africa’s lost control.”

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

“But a cure for cancer, it is not. Scientists have studied rhino horn and found its medicinal value is next to non-existent.”

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Legalizing trade in rhino horn is not a solution.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

View the entire “Last Stand” segment here.

We were also commenting from @savingrhinos while we watched the show.

Thank you, Brian Williams, Harry Smith, Meghan Frank, Sopan Deb, and the entire team for this excellent piece!

Rhishja Cota-Larson

I am the founder of Saving Rhinos LLC, which publishes news and information about the global rhino crisis. I am the Editor of Rhino Horn is Not Medicine and Project Pangolin, author of the book Murder, Myths & Medicine, a writer for the environmental news blog Planetsave, and the host of Behind the Schemes. When I'm not blogging about the illegal wildlife trade, I like to rock out to live music.

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See Rhino Horn is Not Medicine for more information.

Check out the first episode of our new web series, Behind the Schemes.

We recently had the opportunity to speak with Bill Konstant, Program Officer at the International Rhino Foundation. Listen to this exclusive interview to learn all about the “State of the Sumatran Rhino”, which is also the first episode of our new web series, Behind the Schemes.

‘State of the Sumatran Rhino’

Listen to the interview here:

Read the State of the Sumatran Rhino interview here:

RCL: What is the current estimated population of Sumatran rhinos?

BK: Probably no more than 200 animals, which is a rough estimate – difficult to verify – but probably close enough to cause real concern for the survival of this species. Sumatran rhinos tend to be solitary, secretive creatures, very rarely seen even by the people who study and protect them, so the evidence we have of their presence is often indirect. However, the remaining populations are both small and scattered, which presents significant problems for trying to rebuild their numbers to sustainable levels.

RCL: Javan rhinos have fewer than 50 individuals left, but are Sumatran rhinos considered to be in more immediate danger of extinction?

BK: It’s really a difficult assessment to make. With less than 50 animals remaining on the planet, it can be argued that the Javan rhino is in a more precarious situation than the Sumatran rhino, but neither is good by any stretch of the imagination. If you focus on the rate of decline over the last two decades, the situation for the Sumatran rhino would appear more critical. However, for the Javan rhino it’s a classic “all your eggs in one basket” situation. The last population – the final stronghold for the species – is confined to a tiny area at the tip of an island, well within the range of a potential volcanic eruption … shades of Krakatoa! For both species, the low total population numbers also reflect a very low number of reproductive units, only a handful of mature females available to a handful of mature males, and with the chances of them meeting and mating correspondingly reduced. That’s what makes it important to integrate protection measures with captive breeding initiatives.

RCL: Have there been any known Sumatran rhino births in the wild in the last five years? Are there camera traps? How many rhinos are in these “fragmented pockets”?

BK: To your first question, yes, births of wild Sumatran rhinos over the last five years have been documented, but by multiple sets of footprints of mothers with calves and not by camera-trap photos or videos. There are a number of recent images taken of adult Sumatran rhinos on Sumatra, which confirms their presence at specific locations, but I don’t know of any of mothers with young. Interestingly enough, there are good images of Javan rhinos with young taken at Indonesia’s Ujung Kulon National Park. These confirm reports of successful breeding by researchers and anti-poaching patrols that were based on evidence provided by footprints – mother and young walking the same forest trails.

Camera-traps help biologists estimate populations of cryptic species like the Sumatran rhino. Population estimates or ranges derived from camera-trapping studies are based upon a relatively small sample size, the data compiled from strategic locations and applied to a broader area. Combined with other indirect evidence, however, these studies can give us a good idea of how many animals are present within a defined area. So, based on all available information, field biologists estimate that there are probably no more than 200 Sumatran rhinos remaining in approximately four fragmented forest pockets on the islands of Sumatra and Borneo. Whether any remnant populations survive on mainland Southeast Asia is doubtful, but still bears investigation.

RCL: How many Sumatran rhinos are in Indonesia and how many in Malaysia?

BK: According to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, a database used by conservation biologists around the world, the overwhelming bulk of the world’s remaining Sumatran rhinos, between 135 – 185 individuals, are found in three Indonesian national parks: Gunung Leuser, Bukit Barisan Selatan and Way Kambas. A relative handful – perhaps 20 to 30 – appears to be holding on within the Malaysian state of Sabah on the island of Borneo.  

RCL: Does each country have its own subspecies?

BK: Essentially, yes. The Latin name for the Sumatran rhino is Dicerorhinus sumatrensis, which translates literally as the “two-horned rhinoceros from the region of Sumatra”. Three subspecies are recognized. The most northern subspecies, which occurred on mainland Asia and ranged all the way to Nepal and northern India, was called lasiotis, but it is now believed to be extinct. The subspecies known as harrissoni is endemic to the island of Borneo and is the one documented from Malaysia, but some animals may still be found across the border with Indonesia in Kalimantan. The animals on Sumatra belong, as you might expect, to the subspecies called sumatrensis.

RCL: Sumatran rhinos face both the threat of being killed for their horns and destruction of their rainforest habitat. Are both of these issues weighted equally?

BK: That’s a tough question, but I would have to say yes. At this time, Indonesia’s remaining Sumatran rhino populations are under heavy protection by anti-poaching patrols, which help to prevent the killing of rhinos, elephants, tigers and other threatened wildlife species. If that protection didn’t exist, I think it would be safe to say that the species might have already been driven over the brink to extinction. There’s absolutely no future for Sumatran rhinos without round-the-clock measures to protect them from poaching, which can very quickly decimate entire populations, as we’re now witnessing with Africa’s black and white rhinos. Having acknowledged that, the current status of the Sumatran rhino is equally attributable to decades and centuries of tropical forest loss and the relentless encroachment on its increasingly fragmented habitat by a burgeoning human population. The situation now exists that the last individuals of this species can only be found in national parks and sanctuaries that officially protected from exploitation by our own species.

RCL: Can you tell us what International Rhino Foundation is doing to protect Sumatran rhinos and help increase their population?

BK: The International Rhino Foundation (IRF) works very closely with Indonesia’s Ministry of Forestry and our local partners YABI (Yayasan Badak Indonesia) to help save Sumatran rhinos. Thanks to the generosity of many people around the world, IRF is able to support Rhino Protection Units – what we refer to as RPUs – in two of the Indonesian national parks I mentioned earlier: Bukit Barisan Selatan and Way Kambas. We also support protection for the last remaining Javan rhinos in Ujung Kulon National Park. These efforts help to stabilize and potentially increase wild populations.

In addition, IRF supports the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary, a 250-acre captive breeding facility situated in Way Kambas National Park, where we are hoping to witness the first-ever captive birth of a Sumatran rhino in Indonesia within the next few months. Several years ago, a young male rhino by the name of Andalas, born at the Cincinnati Zoo here in the United States, was sent to the sanctuary in hopes that he might breed with one or more of the three females in residence – Bina, Rosa and Ratu – all of which came from the wild. Well, Anadalas has not disappointed us. He and Ratu bred in March of last year and she is now completing the 12th month of a projected 15- to 16-month pregnancy, as your audience can read about on your website. Despite early miscarriages that resulted from the couple’s last two attempts at mating, all signs are positive at this point, Ratu is in the home stretch and we’re cautiously optimistic that she will deliver a healthy calf sometime later this spring or early this summer. This would be a historic first for the program and a success for what has become an international effort to save this critically endangered species.

RCL: What can people do to support International Rhino Foundation’s efforts to prevent the extinction of Sumatran rhinos?

BK: That’s an easy one. Anyone can help Sumatran rhinos by making a contribution to IRF, which can be used to support Rhino Protection Units in the field, captive breeding programs at the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary, or both. If folks want to help, I invite them to visit our website, www.rhinos-irf.org, and make a donation. They can help by adopting Andalas, Bina, Rosa or Ratu. I also invite them to learn more about what IRF is doing to help save the world’s other rhino species in Africa and Asia. Rhinos are among the world’s most critically endangered species and it is going to take a global effort to save them, so there’s room for everyone to get involved.

Rhishja Cota-Larson

I am the founder of Saving Rhinos LLC, which publishes news and information about the global rhino crisis. I am the Editor of Rhino Horn is Not Medicine and Project Pangolin, author of the book Murder, Myths & Medicine, a writer for the environmental news blog Planetsave, and the host of Behind the Schemes. When I'm not blogging about the illegal wildlife trade, I like to rock out to live music.

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See Rhino Horn is Not Medicine for more information.

Wonderful news from Indonesia!

A bundle of joy could be arriving soon at the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary in Indonesia’s Way Kambas National Park: Ratu is now just a few months away from giving birth!

The baby’s father is world-famous Andalas, who was born at the Cincinnati Zoo, and later moved to the 250-acre Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary in 2007, where he resides with Ratu and two other females, Rosa and Bina.

This pregnancy is the third for Ratu, whose previous attempts unfortunately ended in early miscarriages. She has just completed her eleventh month; rhino pregnancies last 15 — 16 months.

Ratu is receiving a daily hormone supplement, which was also prescribed to Andalas’s mother, Emi, after she miscarried. The dosage and protocol is provided by Sumatran rhino expert Dr. Terri Roth, director of Cincinnati Zoo’s Center for Conservation and Research of Endangered Wildlife and vice president for International Rhino Foundation’s Asia programs.

Weekly weigh-ins and regular ultrasound exams are administered to the mother-to-be by Dr. Dedi Candra.

Executive director of the International Rhino Foundation, Dr. Susie Ellis, is hopeful about Ratu’s pregnancy.

We’ve got fingers crossed that everything will continue to go well and that Ratu will deliver a healthy baby sometime in late spring or early summer. This is truly a dedicated team effort, not just with regard to managing a critical pregnancy, but also in terms of the round-the-clock effort to protect Indonesia’s last remaining wild Sumatran rhinos.

We couldn’t hope to accomplish either without the generous support we receive from concerned people all over the world.

Here’s Andalas nudging Ratu:

Sumatran rhinos face multiple threats

Sumatran rhinos are classified as Critically Endangered by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™, with fewer than 200 individuals surviving in Indonesia and Malaysia.

Like all rhino species, the Sumatran rhino faces the ever-present danger of being killed for unproven rhino horn remedies.

Tragically, Vietnam’s rhino population was declared extinct last year. The last individual was shot and killed, thanks to wild claims of rhino horn’s magical curative properties — claims which actually have no scientific basis.

In addition to rhino horn myths, Sumatran rhinos are gravely threatened by the continued destruction of their tropical forest habitat. Particularly notorious is paper giant Asia Pulp and Paper (APP), which has even gone as far to include Javan rhinos in their greenwashing attempts.

Every Sumatran rhino birth — in the wild, in a zoo or in a special sanctuary — represents hope for the survival of this species, which runs the risk of going extinct by the end of this century.

How to help Sumatran rhinos

The International Rhino Foundation, through its on-the-ground partner, the Rhino Foundation of Indonesia, funds the operation of the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary and supports Rhino Protection Units that safeguard the last remaining wild populations of Sumatran and Javan rhinos.

To help support the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary, visit the International Rhino Foundation.

Photos courtesy © International Rhino Foundation (IRF)

Rhishja Cota-Larson

I am the founder of Saving Rhinos LLC, which publishes news and information about the global rhino crisis. I am the Editor of Rhino Horn is Not Medicine and Project Pangolin, author of the book Murder, Myths & Medicine, a writer for the environmental news blog Planetsave, and the host of Behind the Schemes. When I'm not blogging about the illegal wildlife trade, I like to rock out to live music.

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See Rhino Horn is Not Medicine for more information.

“Forewarned, forearmed; to be prepared is half the victory.” — Miguel de Cervantes

Warning signs: Disturbing developments in Namibia could be edging the country’s rhino population closer to danger.

Although Namibia has so far remained unscathed by the rhino crisis, the situation could change, if alarm bells go unheeded.

Vietnamese ‘rhino hunters’

In November 2011, a Vietnamese national was granted a permit to kill a rhino at Otjiwa Safari Lodge in Namibia.

This is disconcerting because several Vietnamese nationals have already been implicated in schemes which use South Africa’s “hunting safaris” as a front to run rhino horn to Vietnam.

The scam has been going on since at least 2003 (escalation began in 2006), with South African safari hunt operators as willing participants.

To find out more about the Vietnamese rhino hunting scam, check out:

• 2011: “Mules Hunting Rhinos? Sinister Scam Unfolds in South Africa“
• 2010: “Illegal Trade in Rhino Horn: The Vietnamese Connection“

Rhino horn trade speculation

A recent article in The Namibian claims there is a “legalized trade” movement afoot in the country, and suggested that horns be removed from rhinos and stored in “National Banks similarly to gold and diamonds and packaged in varying quantities and qualities at set prices”.

These profiteers obviously have no qualms about encouraging seriously ill people to use rhino horn, instead of seeking medical treatment. (South Africa even authorized the export of more than 100 rhinos to China for a multimillion-dollar rhino horn harvesting scheme.)

This notion of rhino horn as a “commodity” continues to fuel demand for rhino horn, thanks to speculative claims made by rhino horn suppliers in South Africa.

It was noted that Dr. Kalumbi Shangula, Namibia’s Ministry of Environment and Tourism Permanent Secretary, was skeptical about the “legalized trade” scheme.

Learn more about rhino horn suppliers:

• 2011: “Concern Grows Around Role of Rhino Horn ‘Suppliers’ in South Africa“
• 2010: “Are Insiders Intentionally Fueling the Demand for Rhino Horn?“

Chinese footprint in Africa

The Husab Uranium Project is located in Namibia and it is the world’s fourth largest uranium deposit. At the moment, it is owned by Extract Resources.

However, a market update is expected within the next 24 hours regarding the potential takeover of Extract Resources by China Guangdon Nuclear Power Corporation.

Rhino horn and ivory trade expert Dr. Tom Milliken of TRAFFIC recently told The Guardian that African wildlife is paying the price of “China’s investment drive” across the continent.

We’ve reached a point in Africa’s history where there are more Asian nationals on the continent than ever before. They have contacts with the end-use market and now they are at the source in Africa.

This is all adding up to an unprecedented assault on elephants and other wildlife.

Check out the effects of China’s increased presence in Africa:

• 2011: “Asian Demand for Ivory Leads ‘Unprecedented Assault’ on African Elephants“
• 2010: “Demand for Rhino Horn Now Dangerously Close to the Supply“
• 2009: “Kenya Fears Link Between Elephant Killings and Chinese Construction Projects“
• 2008: “How China’s taking over Africa and why the West should be very worried“

Rhinos in Namibia

Namibia is home to the world’s largest population (nearly 1,500) of the unique desert-adapted black rhino subspecies Diceros bicornis bicornis.

Black rhinos are classified as Critically Endangered by the IUCN, with fewer than 5,000 surviving worldwide.

Last year, the Western black rhino subspecies Diceros bicornis longipes and Javan rhino subspecies Rhinoceros sondaicus annamiticus were confirmed extinct.

Image © iStockphoto.com

Rhishja Cota-Larson

I am the founder of Saving Rhinos LLC, which publishes news and information about the global rhino crisis. I am the Editor of Rhino Horn is Not Medicine and Project Pangolin, author of the book Murder, Myths & Medicine, a writer for the environmental news blog Planetsave, and the host of Behind the Schemes. When I'm not blogging about the illegal wildlife trade, I like to rock out to live music.

More Posts - Website - Twitter - Facebook

See Rhino Horn is Not Medicine for more information.

Syndicated via Planetsave.

Rhishja Cota-Larson

I am the founder of Saving Rhinos LLC, which publishes news and information about the global rhino crisis. I am the Editor of Rhino Horn is Not Medicine and Project Pangolin, author of the book Murder, Myths & Medicine, a writer for the environmental news blog Planetsave, and the host of Behind the Schemes. When I'm not blogging about the illegal wildlife trade, I like to rock out to live music.

More Posts - Website - Twitter - Facebook

See Rhino Horn is Not Medicine for more information.

The recent capture of a female Borneo rhino may help save the species.

Experts are hoping that the recent capture of an extremely rare subspecies of Sumatran rhino can save these ancient mammals from extinction.

Fewer than 200 Sumatran rhinos are left on Earth, and only 40 of these are of the subspecies Dicerorhinus sumatrensis harrissoni, also known as the Borneo rhino.

Of these 40 or so individuals, just a few are believed to be breeding females.

Puntung and Tam

Puntung, a female Borneo rhino, was captured on Christmas Day 2011 and is estimated to be between 10 and 12 years old.

Veterinarians at Malaysia’s Borneo Rhino Sanctuary are hoping to introduce her to 20-year-old Tam, a male Borneo rhino residing at the Sanctuary. The average life span is between 30 and 40 years.

At the moment, the two rhinos are in neighboring enclosures. The introduction will take place in several months, and in the meantime, Puntung seems to be adjusting to her new environment and consuming more than 60 kg (132 lb) of leaves every day.

The Borneo rhino is the world’s smallest rhino species, weighing 500 to 600 kg (1,100 to 1,322 lb) and standing around 1.3 metres tall (4.3 feet).

Video of Puntung and Tam at the Borneo Rhino Sanctuary:

How to help

To find out how you can help Borneo rhinos, check out the Borneo Rhino Alliance — and you can also see more photos of Puntung and Tam.

Video via Reuters.

Rhishja Cota-Larson

I am the founder of Saving Rhinos LLC, which publishes news and information about the global rhino crisis. I am the Editor of Rhino Horn is Not Medicine and Project Pangolin, author of the book Murder, Myths & Medicine, a writer for the environmental news blog Planetsave, and the host of Behind the Schemes. When I'm not blogging about the illegal wildlife trade, I like to rock out to live music.

More Posts - Website - Twitter - Facebook

See Rhino Horn is Not Medicine for more information.

An extremely disturbing incident.

Police in Guwahati have arrested a man identified as Chin Khansong after he sneaked into the Assam State Zoo with a .303 rifle, ammunition, an axe, and a machete. The suspect confessed he was planning to kill “as many rhinos as possible” in order to sell their horns.

Nine greater one-horned rhinos reside at the zoo.

According to the Hindustan Times, Khansong is from the Churachandpur district of Manipur.

He had apparently scaled the zoo’s wall during the night, hoping the facility would be empty during Magh Bihu (Assam’s harvest festival).

Last year, the Thoiry zoo and wildlife park near Paris placed its rhinos under camera surveillance for added security.

Tiger killed inside zoo

In August 2009, a Sumatran tiger was killed and skinned inside her enclosure at Rimbo Zoo in Indonesia.

The tiger’s skin, along with the various body parts in demand for traditional Chinese medicine, were taken from the tiger’s enclosure.

Two people identified as Akmamul Mukminin and Samsudin alias Udin Bolu were later arrested for killing the tiger. Samsudin was sentenced to 46 months in jail.

Photo © iStockphoto.com

Rhishja Cota-Larson

I am the founder of Saving Rhinos LLC, which publishes news and information about the global rhino crisis. I am the Editor of Rhino Horn is Not Medicine and Project Pangolin, author of the book Murder, Myths & Medicine, a writer for the environmental news blog Planetsave, and the host of Behind the Schemes. When I'm not blogging about the illegal wildlife trade, I like to rock out to live music.

More Posts - Website - Twitter - Facebook

See Rhino Horn is Not Medicine for more information.

“The truth is on the march and nothing will stop it.” – Emile Zola

The world’s leading conservation and environmental organizations – among others – are speaking out against the use of rhino horn as a medical treatment. Check out this list of quotes with source links and a few videos.

Rhino horn quotes

1. “Although there is no scientific proof of its medical value, rhino horn is highly prized in traditional Asian medicine, where it is ground into a fine powder or manufactured into tablets as a treatment for a variety of illnesses such as nosebleeds, strokes, convulsions, and fevers.” – WWF, African Rhino Poaching Crisis
2. “The unfounded rumour that rhino horn can cure cancer most likely sealed the fate of the last Javan rhino in Vietnam. This same problem is now threatening other rhino populations across Africa and South Asia.” – Dr. A. Christy Williams, WWF, Rhino horn demand leads to record poaching
3. “We will be leading global action to clamp down on this cruel and archaic trade, and to dispel the myths peddled to vulnerable people that drive demand for rhino products.” – UK Environment Secretary Caroline Spelmen, UK to lead international rhino horn clampdown
4. “The tragedy is that rhino horn is made of keratin, the same stuff that makes up human hair and nails. It has no medicinal value, you might as well eat your fingernails.” – Mark Jones, Executive Director, Humane Society International/UK, It is devastating to see rhinos killed for a cure that doesn’t work
5. “To all this, I say that something that works for everything usually works for nothing. I also say that something that has been used for hundreds or thousands of years does not make it right.” – Dr. Albert Lim Kok Hooi, oncologist, A horny story
6. “Apparently, based on the results of this study, rhinoceros horn can reduce fever, but only at rather high dosage levels when prescribed as a single drug.” – Ethnopharmacology of Rhinoceros Horn. I: Antipyretic Effects of Rhinoceros Horn and Other Animal Horns. In this study, fever-induced rats showed temporary lowering of temperature after being injected with an extremely high concentration of rhino horn extract, however, there was no antipyretic effect at the dosage levels comparable to what would be prescribed to a human patient. Download the study here.
7. “The Secretariat is also very conscious, however, of the need to respond to the belief that rhinoceros horn is efficacious in the treatment or prevention of cancer. It is despicable that criminals are financially exploiting sufferers, and their relatives, at a time when they will be struggling to cope with distressing and sometimes terminal medical conditions.” – CITES (CoP15 Doc. 45.1). Download it here.
8. Regarding rumors that rhino horn is a cancer treatment: “There is no evidence that rhino horn is an effective cure for cancer and this is not documented in TCM nor is it approved by the clinical research in traditional Chinese medicine.” – Lixin Huang, Statement opposing the use of rhino horn in medicines by the American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Council of Colleges of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine
9. “Tests also showed that rhino horn, which, like fingernails is made of agglutinated hair, has no analgesic, anti-inflammatory, anti-spasmolytic nor diuretic properties, and no bactericidal effect could be found against suppuration and intestinal bacteria.” – WWF Scientific Tests Fail to Show Rhino Horn Effective as Medicine
10. “For some time I have been contemplating to publish a paper which should have a headline in giant newsprint to say that RHINO HORN IS NOT AN APHRODISIAC. There is even no evidence that rhino horn was ever regularly used for this purpose. Such a paper should be followed by another with more giant newsprint announcing that RHINO HORN IS NOT MEDICINAL. Consensus now appears to be that even if rhino horn is mildly anti-pyretic to lower fever symptoms, the benefits do not outweigh those of cheap over-the-counter medicines readily available in any pharmacy.” – Dr. Kees Rookmaaker, Rhino Resource Center Newsletter #25, November 2011

Bonus #11

This is interesting: Even the author of a recently published paper tacitly touting the benefits of China’s rhino farming scheme and legal rhino horn trade has acknowledged that scientific testing has proven rhino horn has no medicinal value (although “believers” in traditional Chinese medicine remain unconvinced).

To the believer in TCM, tests conducted by the Swiss pharmaceutical firm Hoffmann-La Roche, which concluded that rhino horn had no effect on the human body whatsoever, or those carried out by Chinese scientists in Hong Kong, who found that rhino horn did have a cooling effect on fever in laboratory rats but only when used in massive doses, have no relevance.

Download it here.

Videos

Humane Society International: “There’s no scientific proof that rhino horn cures disease.”

Dr. Raj Amin: “There is no evidence at all that any constituent of rhino horn has any medical property. Medically, it’s the same as if you were chewing your own nails.”

World Rhino Day 2011: “At the root of the rhino crisis is the myth that rhino horn contains curative properties. For that reason, World Rhino Day 2011 is highlighting efforts to debunk the myths and diminish the demand for rhino horn.”

Bonus video: “Lone Rhinoceros” (Just wanted to share one of my favorite songs by my favorite guitarist, Adrian Belew.)

Additional

Of interest: Dr. Rookmaaker (whose fantastic quote is #10) does not agree with the citing of #9 (Hoffmann-LaRoche/WWF) because the full academic reports used to document these studies cannot be located, or with Dr. Raj Amin’s video (above) because the study itself was apparently not undertaken at ZSL – not because the information itself is invalid. He simply recommends that alternative studies be cited. (In my opinion, #6 is an alternative study. I still consider #10 and Dr. Amin’s video acceptable sources, as do many others.) You can review his comments here.

Image © iStockphoto.com

Rhishja Cota-Larson

I am the founder of Saving Rhinos LLC, which publishes news and information about the global rhino crisis. I am the Editor of Rhino Horn is Not Medicine and Project Pangolin, author of the book Murder, Myths & Medicine, a writer for the environmental news blog Planetsave, and the host of Behind the Schemes. When I'm not blogging about the illegal wildlife trade, I like to rock out to live music.

More Posts - Website - Twitter - Facebook

See Rhino Horn is Not Medicine for more information.

EXTINCT: The world’s last Rhinoceros sondaicus annamiticus was murdered for her small horn.

Photo: © WWF-Greater Mekong
The extinction of the Javan rhino (Rhinoceros sondaicus annamiticus) in Vietnam is now confirmed, according to WWF and the International Rhino Foundation (IRF).

A new report released by WWF concludes that Vietnam’s last rhino was a victim of the illegal rhino horn trade.

Poaching was identified as the cause of the extinction of the subspecies; the last individual was shot in the leg, which probably caused its death, and the horn had been removed.

The female rhino’s body was found in Cat Tien National Park on April 29^th, 2010. It is estimated that she died in late January or early February.

DNA analyses conducted at Queen’s University, Canada, determined that the dung samples collected during a 2009/2010 WWF survey belonged to one rhino.

Sadly, the samples matched those taken from the dead rhino.

Lack of political will

Vietnam’s tiny rhino population struggled against several formidable obstacles, including the traditional medicine trade, questionable government funding decisions, and habitat loss.

However, it seems the impact of these obstacles could have been lessened, if only the recommended conservation programs had been implemented and supported by the relevant authorities within Vietnam.

The report indicated that there was a glaring lack of political will and very little, if any, accountability for the protection of this critically endangered species.

Demand for traditional ‘medicines’

WWF noted that Vietnam’s “uncontrolled illegal wildlife trade” and “inadequate protection” of habitat led to the extinction of the country’s rhinos.

Vietnam is facing an extinction crisis due to the largely uncontrolled illegal wildlife trade and rampant, ubiquitous poaching of wildlife. Current protected area management practices and conservation interventions have proved inadequate for dealing with this threat. The extinction of the Javan rhinoceros from Vietnam is a direct result of this inadequate protection and protected area management from all parties involved in its conservation.

The “increasing demand for wildlife in the traditional medicine trade in Vietnam, China and other parts of Asia” continues to decimate Southeast Asia’s wildlife populations.

Rhino horn is still a sought-after ingredient for traditional Chinese medicine, despite the fact it has been rigorously analyzed and contains no medicinal properties. Earlier this year, the Register of Chinese Herbal Medicine and TCM educators spoke out against the continued use of rhino horn.

Indeed, it is the thriving trade in traditional “medicines” made from animal parts which is responsible for killing the world’s last Rhinoceros sondaicus annamiticus.

Photo: © WWF-Greater Mekong

Habitat loss

It was also revealed that the Vietnamese government focused its funding on “infrastructure development” and demonstrated “insufficient political support” for protecting its critically endangered rhino population.

There was insufficient political support to secure adequate habitat, prevent encroachment, and protect the remaining rhinoceros from hunting. Although Cat Tien National Park is a relatively well funded protected area, as is typical for National Parks in Vietnam a much greater proportion of government funding is spent on activities such as infrastructure development, than on addressing threats to the protected area.

The range of the Javan rhino in Vietnam decreased significantly from 75,000ha in 1988 to just 6,500ha by 2010. Urban development, conversion to agricultural land, park encroachment by settlers, and explosive human population growth proved to be ongoing issues that were never adequately addressed.

Additionally, there was “little or no accountability” within Vietnam’s current protected area management system, which includes rangers, their managers, and protected area managers.

Photo: © WWF-Greater Mekong

‘Conservation failure’

Although once thought to be extinct, Vietnam’s Rhinoceros sondaicus annamiticus was rediscovered in 1988.

The small population consisted of perhaps a dozen rhinos. Sufficient habitat was available and it was hoped that these rhinos would make a recovery similar to the Southern white rhino (Ceratotherium simum) and the greater one-horned rhino (Rhinoceros unicornis ) – both of which were on the brink of extinction 100 years ago.

However, by 2006, probably only three Javan rhinos remained in Vietnam. Despite years of valid recommendations from conservation groups, implementation and accountability were both lacking in Cat Tien National Park.

The extinction of the Javan rhinoceros in Vietnam is a major conservation failure.

Three subspecies of Javan rhino once existed. Rhinoceros sondaicus inermis, which formerly occurred in northeastern India, Bangladesh, and Myanmar, is already extinct.

Today, only one subspecies of Javan rhino remains: Fewer than 50 Rhinoceros sondaicus sondaicus are still surviving in Indonesia’s Ujung Kulon National Park.

Source: Brook, S., Van Coeverden de Groot, P., Mahood, S. “Extinction of the Javan Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus).” 2011. WWF-Vietnam.

Photos provided by & © WWF-Greater Mekong.

Rhishja Cota-Larson

I am the founder of Saving Rhinos LLC, which publishes news and information about the global rhino crisis. I am the Editor of Rhino Horn is Not Medicine and Project Pangolin, author of the book Murder, Myths & Medicine, a writer for the environmental news blog Planetsave, and the host of Behind the Schemes. When I'm not blogging about the illegal wildlife trade, I like to rock out to live music.

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See Rhino Horn is Not Medicine for more information.

A positive step from the Chinese medicine community!

The Register of Chinese Herbal Medicine (RCHM) in the UK has issued a statement condemning the use of rhino horn in Chinese medicine.

We applaud this action and have posted key excerpts from the Register of Chinese Herbal Medicine‘s statement entitled “The RCHM condemns continued use of rhino horns”:

• Following recent thefts of rhinoceros horns from museums and the continued hunting of wild rhinoceros the Register of Chinese Herbal Medicine has clarified the situation about the use of animal parts in Chinese medicine in the UK.
• The RCHM strongly condemns the illegal trade in endangered species and has a strict policy prohibiting the use of any type of endangered species by any of our members.
• The RCHM understands that rhino horn was removed from the Chinese medicine pharmacopeia in 1993; the pharmacopeia is administered by the Ministry of Health of the People’s Republic of China.

The RCHM has also announced World Rhino Day on their website.

Here’s to positive steps taken by the Register of Chinese Herbal Medicine!

For further reading, check out:

• TCM Educators Speak Out Against Use of Rhino Horn
• Doctor in Malaysia Speaks Out Against Use of Rhino Horn as Medicine
• Top NGO Opposes Bail for Rhino Crimes, Speaks Out on Rhino Horn Medicine Myth

Visit the Saving Rhinos website for public awareness campaign materials and help support our work with a rhino t-shirt.

Image © iStockphoto.com

Rhishja Cota-Larson

I am the founder of Saving Rhinos LLC, which publishes news and information about the global rhino crisis. I am the Editor of Rhino Horn is Not Medicine and Project Pangolin, author of the book Murder, Myths & Medicine, a writer for the environmental news blog Planetsave, and the host of Behind the Schemes. When I'm not blogging about the illegal wildlife trade, I like to rock out to live music.

More Posts - Website - Twitter - Facebook

See Rhino Horn is Not Medicine for more information.