Rhino Horn is NOT Medicine » Sumatran Rhino

Sumatran Rhinos Featured in Chester Zoo’s Southeast Asia Symposium

Staff Writer — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 23:07:23 +0000

Check out this opportunity to learn about the amazing and threatened species of Southeast Asia.

The UK’s Chester Zoo is organizing a day of talks, films and discussions about the threatened species of Southeast Asia — including the Sumatran rhino.

On April 28^th, “Southeast Asia: Threats, Challenges and Successes” brings together experts from around the world to discuss a variety of Southeast Asian conservation topics.

The event is a fundraiser for the EAZA/IUCN/SSC Southeast Asia Campaign.

Among the presenters is Cathy Dean, Director of Save the Rhino International. She will be giving a talk about Sumatran Rhino conservation.

“Southeast Asia: Threats, Challenges and Successes” speakers and topics:

Celebrity guest host TV wildlife presenter and veterinary surgeon Steve Leonard
Cathy Dean, Director of Save the Rhino International: Sumatran Rhino conservation
Nick Garbutt, professional photographer, author and expedition leader
Vincent Nijman, Oxford Brookes University: expert on illegal wildlife trade in Southeast Asia
Simon Hedges from the Wildlife Conservation Society: Securing human-elephant coexistence in Southeast Asia
Chester Zoo’s animal teams working with Southeast Asian species

Due to the popularity of this event, advanced booking is required. Book tickets by calling 01244 650 240.

For more information about “Southeast Asia: Threats, Challenges and Successes”, contact conservation [at] chesterzoo [dot] org and check the Chester Zoo website for updates.

Connect with the Southeast Asia Campaign on Facebook.

Image provided by Chester Zoo.

Staff Writer

Saving Rhinos website: savingrhinos.org | Blog: Rhino Horn is NOT Medicine | Web series and podcast: Behind the Schemes | World Rhino Day: worldrhinoday.org |

More Posts - Website - Twitter - Facebook

See Rhino Horn is Not Medicine for more information.

Exclusive Interview: State of the Sumatran Rhino

Rhishja Cota-Larson — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 03:12:16 +0000

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.

More Posts - Website - Twitter - Facebook

See Rhino Horn is Not Medicine for more information.

Baby on the Way for Sumatran Rhino ‘Ratu’

Rhishja Cota-Larson — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 22:49:27 +0000

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

More Posts - Website - Twitter - Facebook

See Rhino Horn is Not Medicine for more information.

Asian Rhino Project Launches Cool New Website!

Rhishja Cota-Larson — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 21:52:11 +0000

Exciting news from Australia!

The Asian Rhino Project website has a fabulous new look!

Earlier this month, the Asian Rhino Project (ARP) rolled out a newly re-designed website and logo.

The design is quite pleasing: The new colors are earthy, yet modern – and there are several photos of all three of these lesser-know rhino species. Large, beautiful photos in the home page banner roll from one species to the next, so each one receives a turn at front and center.

Most importantly, there is plenty of information about getting involved: No matter where you are in the world, you can help Asian rhinos!

Please take a tour of the ARP website at asianrhinos.org.au and learn more about how you can help the three Asian rhino species:

Greater one-horned (Indian) rhino population: 2,949
Sumatran rhino population: About 200
Javan rhino population: Fewer than 50

About the Asian Rhino Project

The Asian Rhino Project (ARP) is an Australian non-profit, volunteer organization raising awareness and support for the three Asian rhino species: Greater one-horned (Indian), Javan, and Sumatran rhinos.

The Asian Rhino Project raises funds from donors, corporate sponsors and memberships, merchandise sales, events, and educational programs. Contributions to in-situ programs are made through partnerships formed with conservation organizations in the field.

Donations to the Asian Rhino Project over $2 are tax deductible and 100% of these funds are directly committed to the conservation of this flagship species.

Learn more:

Rhishja Cota-Larson

More Posts - Website - Twitter - Facebook

See Rhino Horn is Not Medicine for more information.

By Popular Demand: ‘Horny’ Rhino T-Shirts (and More)

Rhishja Cota-Larson — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 17:26:51 +0000

More rhino t-shirt designs!

Since 2007, we’ve been offering a wide selection of rhino t-shirts and other merchandise, and one of the most popular t-shirt designs has consistently been our “horny is good” t-shirt. People seem to have fun with this message.

This year – just in time for the holidays – those who enjoy the “horny” double entendre are in for a treat: We’ve just added a new online store called Horny Forever.

Horny Forever features designs that are geared towards adults. (Those of you with an eye for detail might have noticed a slightly different version of the Saving Rhinos logo – more on that later.)

Six ‘horny rhino’ designs

As of this writing, there are six designs (including the original “horny is good“), with more in this week’s pipeline.

In addition to the Horny Forever logo, there is “Big & Horny” (a white rhino) and another called “Making Baby Rhinos” that is simply an illustration of two rhinos (making a baby rhino). “Have a horny day!” is a simple twist on a classic design.

And then there’s just “HORNY” which sports a golden rhino with plum lettering.

Visit both stores:

Horny Forever – let’s keep rhinos horny forever!
Main store – home of the “Rhino horn is NOT medicine” t-shirts

Please note: Merchandise is available for online ordering only; international shipping is available.

Rhinos in Nepal

We contribute a portion of our t-shirt proceeds to Partnership for Rhino Conservation (PARC/Nepal) and have been doing so since 2009.

The funds help pay for printing educational materials and sponsoring public awareness events that directly impact the people living side-by-side with the greater one-horned rhino in the Chitwan National Park buffer zone. In addition, we promote PARC’s efforts on our social media platforms.

Find out more about the public awareness activities we have helped support at Update from Nepal: A Successful Year of Raising Public Awareness About Rhino Conservation.

About Saving Rhinos

Saving Rhinos LLC is mostly a self-funded endeavor, and is not a charity or nonprofit, and does not accept donations. I also work behind the scenes to provide subject matter expertise to select NGOs and verifiable media sources.

Image: © Saving Rhinos LLC

Rhishja Cota-Larson

More Posts - Website - Twitter - Facebook

See Rhino Horn is Not Medicine for more information.

Updated Rhino Species Fact Sheets

Rhishja Cota-Larson — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 02:21:36 +0000

The latest fact sheets are ready!

Our popular Rhino Species Fact Sheets are now updated and ready to download! Each rhino species has its own fact sheet.

The Rhino Species Fact Sheets were first published in 2009, updated in 2010, and have since been downloaded by people all over the world. The 2011 population figures are based on information provided at the International Rhino Keeper Association Workshop, which was held in May 2011.

Enjoy!

Download the Rhino Species Fact Sheets

For additional free public awareness and learning tools, please visit the Saving Rhinos downloads page.

Image: © Saving Rhinos LLC

Rhishja Cota-Larson

More Posts - Website - Twitter - Facebook

See Rhino Horn is Not Medicine for more information.

Javan and Sumatran Rhino Posters

Rhishja Cota-Larson — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 00:58:58 +0000

New posters!

Posters featuring critically endangered Javan and Sumatran rhinos are now available!

Just in time for World Rhino Day!

These A4 size posters are part of TRAFFIC Southeast Asia‘s “Twelve in Trouble” awareness campaign, which was launched in January 2011. Find out more about the “Twelve in Trouble” campaign by connecting with TRAFFIC Southeast Asia on Facebook®

To download a poster, simply click the URL located beneath each poster image.

Javan Rhino Poster

Download the Javan rhino poster by clicking here.

Sumatran Rhino Poster

Download the Sumatran rhino poster by clicking here.

Check out the downloads page of our website for more rhino posters!

Posters & images: © Saving Rhinos LLC & TRAFFIC Southeast Asia. Javan rhino photo © WWF; Sumatran rhino photo © Yayasan Badak Indonesia, courtesy of International Rhino Foundation.

Rhishja Cota-Larson

More Posts - Website - Twitter - Facebook

See Rhino Horn is Not Medicine for more information.

World Rhino Day: Southeast Asian NGO Focusing on Rhino Awareness for September

Rhishja Cota-Larson — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 01:07:08 +0000

TRAFFIC Southeast Asia joins the celebration!

The World Rhino Day excitement continues to grow: Critically endangered Javan and Sumatran rhinos are being featured for the month of September as part of TRAFFIC Southeast Asia’s “Twelve in Trouble” online awareness campaign.

TRAFFIC Southeast Asia will be celebrating World Rhino Day and raising awareness by providing informational articles about rhinos and rhino horn trade, along with a fact sheet/poster, on their Facebook® page at facebook.com/Trafficsea.

The articles are also translated into Vietnamese and Chinese (Mandarin).

Southeast Asia is major hub for wildlife trade, acting as a consumer, supplier, and transit point. However, thanks to TRAFFIC Southeast Asia, awareness and support for wildlife conservation is growing.

The region is home to Javan and Sumatran rhinos; both species are Critically Endangered.

Approximately 48 Javan rhinos inhabit Ujung Kulon National Park in Indonesia. This is the last viable population of Javan rhinos on Earth.

Sumatran rhinos can only be found in a few fragmented areas of Indonesia and Malaysia. The population of this species is estimated to be less than 200, and it is in decline.

TRAFFIC Southeast Asia monitors wildlife trade in Cambodia, Brunei, Timor Leste, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Viet Nam.

Learn more about TRAFFIC Southeast Asia here and connect with them on the TRAFFIC Southeast Asia page on Facebook®.
Help support TRAFFIC Southeast Asia’s awareness campaigns by shopping at their online store, Jungle Boutique.
Got questions about World Rhino Day? Check out the FAQs and connect with us on the World Rhino Day 2011 page on Facebook®.

Photo credit: Yayasan Badak Indonesia, photographer Dedi Candra (courtesy of Dr. Susie Ellis, International Rhino Foundation)

Rhishja Cota-Larson

More Posts - Website - Twitter - Facebook

See Rhino Horn is Not Medicine for more information.

‘Rhino Month’ Kicks Off With Successful Fundraiser for Asian Rhinos

Rhishja Cota-Larson — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 20:14:52 +0000

Fantastic news for Asian rhinos!

With World Rhino Day being celebrated on September 22^nd, it seemed appropriate to dedicate the entire month to rhinos. And thanks to Australia-based Asian Rhino Project, the month is off to a terrific start!

Last Friday, an enthusiastic group of Asian Rhino Project volunteers descended upon Perth’s central business district and raised an impressive $1,000 at the Tin Shake fundraiser.

Event organizer Sophie Dentrinos is quite pleased with the results.

It was a great success despite some miserable weather, and we managed to raise $1000 for the rhinos!

The Asian Rhino Project has organized another event for World Rhino Day, Rock Climbing for Rhinos. Get the details here.

About the Asian Rhino Project

Learn more:

For more information about World Rhino Day, check out the World Rhino Day FAQs and the World Rhino Day page on Facebook®.

Rhishja Cota-Larson

More Posts - Website - Twitter - Facebook

See Rhino Horn is Not Medicine for more information.

World Rhino Day: Rock Climbing for Asian Rhinos!

Rhishja Cota-Larson — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 00:08:05 +0000

A second World Rhino Day celebration from Down Under!

The Asian Rhino Project has added another fantastic event to the World Rhino Day calendar: Rock Climbing for Rhinos!

The Rock Climbing for Rhinos event will take place on September 22^nd – World Rhino Day! – at Rockface.

Rockface is indoors, air-conditioned and features a bouldering area, a lead climbing wall, and a wide range of vertical walls, slabs, and overhangs.

Tickets to Rock Climbing for Rhinos are $20 and include all your equipment. Barbeque and drinks will be available for purchase at the event.

To RSVP, go to the Rock Climbing for Rhinos event page on Facebook® or contact sophie.dentrinos (at) asianrhinos.org.au for more information.

About the Asian Rhino Project

Donations to the Asian Rhino Project over $2 are tax deductible and 100% of these funds are directly committed to the conservation of this flagship species.

Learn more:

For more information about World Rhino Day, check out the World Rhino Day FAQs and the World Rhino Day page on Facebook®.

Photo by Willem v Strien via Wikimedia Commons; Asian Rhino Project logo courtesy of Kerry Crosbie (ARP)

Rhishja Cota-Larson

More Posts - Website - Twitter - Facebook

See Rhino Horn is Not Medicine for more information.