Rhino Horn is NOT Medicine » Dicerorhinus sumatrensis

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!

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

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, and a writer for the environmental news blog Planetsave. When I'm not blogging about the illegal wildlife trade, I like to rock out to live music.

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Beloved Sumatran Rhino ‘Torgamba’ Passes Away

Rhishja Cota-Larson — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 21:42:43 +0000

The world has lost one of its few remaining Sumatran rhinos.

The International Rhino Foundation has sadly announced today that “Torgamba”, an elderly Sumatran rhino, died on Saturday at the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary in Indonesia, following a lengthy illness.

Torgamba was estimated to be 32 years old.

Torgamba had been chronically ill for several years. During the last months of his life, the veterinarians and team at the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary worked tirelessly to make Torgamba as comfortable as possible.

In 1985, Torgamba was rescued from a precarious existence in the wild to become part of an international program to study and breed Sumatran rhinos in captivity, in hopes of reinforcing the dwindling wild population.

Torgamba lived at Port Lympne Wild Animal Park in England until 1998, when he was returned to Indonesia to live at the newly-opened Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary in Way Kambas National Park.

The Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary, constructed by the International Rhino Foundation in partnership with the Indonesian government, allows the rhinos to reside in a 250-acre forest area where they can experience a natural habitat while still receiving state-of-the-art veterinary care and good nutrition.

Currently, four Sumatran rhinos reside at the Sanctuary: Captive-born Andalas, and three females – Bina, Rosa, and Ratu.

There are only around 200 Sumatran rhinos left on Earth. To learn more about how you can help Sumatran rhinos, check out the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary page on the International Rhino Foundation website.

Source & image: International Rhino Foundation

Rhishja Cota-Larson

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

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Critically Endangered Sumatran, Black Rhino Horns Confiscated in China; Four Arrested

Rhishja Cota-Larson — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 20:38:57 +0000

Rhino horns, rhino horn powder, and ivory were confiscated by police in southwestern China.

China’s Kunming Forest Police have released information regarding two rhino horn seizures that recently occurred in the country. Authorities confiscated one critically endangered Sumatran rhino horn, two critically endangered black rhino horns and powder derived from black rhino horns, and also 3.4 kilograms of ivory items.

Four people were arrested by the Kunming Forest Police in two separate incidents.

Sumatran rhino horn from Myanmar

Thanks to intelligence reports received by Kunming Forest Police, two suspects, Yang and Zhao, were arrested in a Kunming hotel in October 2010. The duo had in their possession one Sumatran rhino horn weighing .59 kilograms.

Both of the suspects are locals from Dehong City in Yunnan Province, which shares a border with Myanmar. Yang confessed to paying CNY 120,000 (USD $18,250) for the rhino horn in Myanmar, and then returning by boat to Dehong with the horn.

Sumatran rhino horn

While the age of this particular horn was not yet made available – and any rhino horn being traded is of utmost concern – a “fresh” Sumatran rhino horn would certainly be cause for alarm.

Although hunted to extinction in China for their horn, Sumatran rhinos (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis) once occurred in the southern portion of the country, including Yunnan Province, and in Myanmar.

Currently, only around 200 Sumatran rhinos are still surviving in Malaysia.

Black rhino horns obtained in Vietnam

Diligent intelligence work again paid off in November 2010 when Kunming Forest Police arrested a husband and wife (Yang and Yao) who were trading in rhino horn and ivory.

Local jewelry dealer Yang told police that he purchased two black rhino horns weighing 4.3 kilograms for CNY 300,000 (USD $45,653) in Mong Cai, Vietnam. He took the horns to Dongxing in Guangxi Provice, where he had a logistics company sent the horns to Nanning. From there, Yang and his wife Yao transported the horns to Kunming.

Yang and Yao were arrested in Kunming when they attempted to sell the horns for CNY 410,000 ($62,393). Police also seized .635 kg of black rhino horn powder and 3.5 kg of ivory items from the couple’s apartment and jewelry store.

Smuggling rhino horn via Nanning

This is not the first time Nanning has been used as a smuggling route for rhino horns.

Last year, a rhino horn smuggler confessed to making trips to Vietnam to check out rhino horns before making transactions in Pingxiang City, which borders Vietnam.

From Pingxiang City, the smuggler transported the horns to Guangzhou via Nanning.

Rhino horn crimes in China

China has demonstrated a willingness to punish rhino horn crimes with lengthy prison terms.

For example, in the case mentioned above, the Jiangnan District Court sentenced a rhino horn smuggler to 12 years in jail.

Hopefully, the Kunming smugglers will also receive prison terms for their roles in the illegal rhino horn trade.

Kudos to the Kunming Forest Police for a job well done!

Continued use of rhino horn

At the heart of the rhino killing crisis that has hit the African continent, India, and Nepal, is the continued use of rhino horn in Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Despite the fact that rhino horn has been rigorously analyzed and found to be of no medicinal value, myths about the alleged healing properties of rhino horn remain persistent.

Unfortunately, as long as these rhino horn myths continue, so will the illegal rhino horn trade.

Source: Personal communication, D. Anderson, TRAFFIC Southeast Asia; translation provided by TRAFFIC China.

Images courtesy of TRAFFIC Southeast Asia/TRAFFIC China

Rhishja Cota-Larson

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Borneo Rhinos: World’s Smallest Rhino May Hold Hope for Future

Rhishja Cota-Larson — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 21:50:44 +0000

A camera trap on the island of Borneo has photographed what is believed to be a pregnant Sumatran rhino.

Although only a handful of the Borneo subspecies of the Sumatran rhino still remains, new hope for this species has been discovered: A pregnant Borneo rhino has been captured on film!

According to the Borneo Rhino Alliance, a camera trap set up by the Sabah Wildlife Department and WWF-Malaysia caught the 20-year-old rhino. She is just one of perhaps 30 Borneo rhinos (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis harrissoni) still surviving. They are the world’s smallest species of rhinoceros, with some reaching just three feet high at the shoulder.

Both the Sumatran rhino (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis sumatrensis) and Borneo rhino (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis harrissoni) are listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, and have been included in CITES Appendix I since 1975.

The two principal threats are poaching and reduced population viability. Hunting is primarily driven by the demand for the supposedly medicinal properties of rhino horns and other body parts, and many centuries of over-hunting has reduced this species to a tiny percentage of its former population and range. The species is now so reduced that there are very small numbers in each locality where it still survives. As a result, breeding activity is infrequent, successful births are uncommon in many populations, and there is a severe risk of inbreeding depression (J. Payne pers. comm.).

Sumatran rhinos – along with all rhino species – have been slaughtered to near extinction due to superstitions about rhino horn as an Asian folk remedy. Unfortunately, illegal markets in rhino horn are thriving in southeast and east Asia. Alleged “medicines” comprised of rhinoceros horn are still manufactured by Chinese pharmaceutical companies and touted as a cure for common ailments, such as pain, fever, and acne.

In addition, palm oil plantations are responsible for destroying Sumatran rhino habitat throughout the rhinos’ range and fragmenting already fragile populations.

To learn more, please visit Borneo Rhino Alliance.

Rhishja Cota-Larson

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Sumatran Rhino, Ratu, Loses First Pregnancy; Experts Remain Hopeful for Future

Rhishja Cota-Larson — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 16:29:06 +0000

The International Rhino Foundation announced today that Sumatran rhino, Ratu, has lost her first pregnancy.

The first breeding between captive-born Sumatran rhino Andalas and his Indonesian mate, Ratu, has sadly ended in a loss of the pregnancy. However, rhino experts say that it is not unusual for a rhino to lose her first pregnancy, and captive breeding efforts for the critically endangered Sumatran rhino will continue.

Sumatran rhinos Andalas and Ratu mated after three years of gradual introductions at the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary in Indonesia’s Way Kambas National Park. In February 2010, an ultrasound revealed that Ratu was pregnant, but recent examinations failed to find an embryo.

Dr. Susie Ellis, executive director of the International Rhino Foundation, explained that this is not out of the ordinary, and is hopeful for future breeding plans.

This is not unusual for a rhino’s first pregnancy. While we are saddened by this loss, the fact that we achieved a pregnancy confirms that our work with the Sumatran rhino breeding program is progressing. Ratu and Andalas are healthy and have produced one pregnancy, so we are optimistic that success will soon be achieved.

Sumatran rhino expert Dr. Terri Roth, whose extensive reproductive biology knowledge was behind three births at the Cincinnati Zoo, added that Emi lost her first pregnancies during the breeding program.

The fact that we achieved a pregnancy after only the third mating between Andalas and Ratu is still a victory. Emi, Andalas’ mother, lost a number of pregnancies early in gestation before she carried one to term. Early pregnancy loss in rhinos appears to be fairly common, but we have the advantage of being able to draw on our experience with Emi to help Ratu sustain her next pregnancy.

Sumatran rhino conservation

The International Rhino Foundation, in partnership with the Rhino Foundation of Indonesia, operates the 250-acre Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary under an agreement with the Indonesian Ministry of Forestry. Five Sumatran rhinos currently reside at the Sanctuary, where they receive the benefits of state-of-the-art veterinary care while being able to roam in their natural rainforest habitat. The total Sumatran rhino population is estimated to be only 200.

According to Dr. Ellis, the IRF and Rhino Foundation of Indonesia are working to increase Sumatran rhino numbers in captivity, while protecting wild Sumatran rhinos.

Captive breeding is one part of an integrated Sumatran rhino conservation strategy. Our focus, along with our local partner, the Rhino Foundation of Indonesia, is to protect rhinos in the wild as well as to bolster the population through captive breeding. IRF also funds anti-poaching units in three Indonesian national parks.

Thanks to those programs, there has been no rhino poaching in the last five years, and poaching of other large vertebrates which share rhino habitat has decreased significantly. Saving this species is a balancing act. We must care for the wild population and also try to breed as many animals as possible in captivity in order to save it.

Indonesia is home to two critically endangered Asian rhino species, the Sumatran rhino and the Javan rhino. Conservationists are hopeful that solid success with Sumatran rhinos may provide a model for development of a similar program for critically endangered Javan rhinos. Although the Javan rhino population is stable for now, it numbers no more than 50 individuals in the wild, and there is no insurance population in captivity.

Asian superstitions about rhino horn are fueling rhino poaching crisis

Sumatran and Javan rhino habitats are threatened by rampant development, human encroachment, and the proliferation of palm oil plantations. However, the biggest threat to rhinos is illegal killing for their horns. Both Asian and African rhino populations are under extreme pressure from a 15-year high in poaching for rhino horn.

Although scientific analysis has confirmed rhino horn actually has no medicinal effect on humans, widespread superstitions about rhino horn as a “remedy” for common ailments still persist in southeast and east Asia.

Source: International Rhino Foundation

Image: Photo © N. Van Strien/International Rhino Foundation

Rhishja Cota-Larson

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Online Rhino Quiz Level II: Challenging!

Rhishja Cota-Larson — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 20:24:56 +0000

A brand new online rhino quiz is now available!

Saving Rhinos is pleased to offer another free educational tool – The Rhino Quiz Level II: Challenging!

(Here’s a hint for the Level II quiz: Study up on rhino species!)

Simply click the link below to launch Rhino Quiz Level II:

Rhino Quiz Level II: Challenging

Or try the introductory Rhino Quiz:

Rhino Quiz Level I: Introductory

I hope you enjoy the new quiz!

Please visit the Saving Rhinos website for more educational tools and public awareness materials.

Rhishja Cota-Larson

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Book of the Week: ‘Hope for Animals and Their World: How Endangered Species Are Being Rescued from the Brink’

Rhishja Cota-Larson — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 21:42:32 +0000

This week’s book is “Hope for Animals and Their World: How Endangered Species Are Being Rescued from the Brink” by Dr. Jane Goodall.

Book Summary: Hope for Animals and Their World is really a call to action disguised as a book! A call to action in the form of an incredible collection of inspiring success stories – shining examples of dedicated people working tirelessly to help bring endangered species back from the very edge of extinction. Just a few of the imperiled species profiled in the book include the California condor, Prsewalski’s horse, Iberian lynx, golden lion tamarin, and the Sumatran rhino.

Why this book is important: Hope for Animals and Their World could not have come at a more critical moment. Time is running out for an unprecedented number of species, creatures that have no voice to speak up against the barrage of deadly threats we humans have set upon them. Thankfully, Dr. Goodall once again offers encouragement to each and every one of us: It’s not too late for us to take action – we can make a difference in this world.

Quotable moment:

It is this – this link between the human being and the other animals with whom we share Planet Earth, this connection we can establish with another life-form – that for many makes it possible to carry on. To carry on with work that can be so hard, carry on despite the frustrations and setbacks, and sometimes the outright hostility or ridicule of those who believe that to save any species from extinction is sentimental and a waste of money and resources

But they cannot do it alone, these Keepers of the Planet. To save Planet Earth, each of us who cares must become involved in protecting and restoring the wild places and the animals and plants that live there.

Where to purchase ‘Hope for Animals and Their World’

You can purchase Hope for Animals and Their World: How Endangered Species Are Being Rescued from the Brink online at Amazon.com.

Rhishja Cota-Larson

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It’s Official: Captive-Born Sumatran Rhino Andalas To Be a Dad!

Rhishja Cota-Larson — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 17:23:20 +0000

Fantastic news from Indonesia’s Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary: Ratu is pregnant with Andalas’ calf!

The breeding of Cincinnati Zoo’s captive-born Sumatran rhino, Andalas, with Ratu, a female at the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary (SRS) has resulted in welcome news for critically endangered Sumatran rhinos: Ratu is pregnant!

Andalas’ and Ratu’s calf is expected to arrive in May 2011.

Hope for the future of Sumatran rhinos

The new calf signals hope for the future of the Sumatran rhino – a critically endangered species who numbers less than 200 worldwide.

IRF Executive Director, Dr. Susie Ellis said via today’s release that the news of Ratu’s pregnancy is the result of years of work by dedicated conservation partners.

A combination of sound science, international collaboration among government, non-profits, and zoos, as well as timing and personal chemistry, has led to this groundbreaking event.

While captive breeding is not a substitute for protecting the species in the wild, it is a critical part of an integrated strategy for the Sumatran rhino’s recovery.

The International Rhino Foundation, through its local partner, the Indonesian Rhino Foundation, also operates anti-poaching units in three Indonesian national parks. Thanks to those programs, there has been no rhino poaching in the last five years, and poaching of other large vertebrates which share rhino habitat has decreased significantly.

Dr. Widodo Ramono, executive director of the Rhino Foundation of Indonesia noted that the Cincinnati Zoo’s methodology was being implemented at the SRS.

The Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary has been encouraged by Cincinnati Zoo’s success.

Our staff has adapted the Cincinnati Zoo’s methodology to the local environment at the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary, particularly ultrasonographic techniques, to achieve this result.

How to help Sumatran rhinos

The Sumatran rhino (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis) population has declined 50% over the last 15 years, victims of rampant illegal killing for their small horn. Unfortunate superstitions in China and part of Eastern Asia attribute rhino horn with “medicinal” properties, even though such notions have been dispelled by science.

Sumatran rhino habitat is also threatened by development, palm oil production, and human encroachment.

Learn more about how to help Sumatran rhinos:

Source: International Rhino Foundation

Rhishja Cota-Larson

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Cincinnati Zoo’s Famous Sumatran Rhino Emi Has Died

Rhishja Cota-Larson — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 20:40:47 +0000

In a heartbreaking setback to Sumatran rhino conservation, the Cincinnati Zoo’s beloved Emi has died.

Emi the Sumatran rhino (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis) was the heart of the world’s only successful captive breeding program for the critically endangered species.

According to local news sources, world-famous 21-year-old Emi died September 5, after appearing less energetic for several weeks. The typical lifespan of a Sumatran rhino is 35 – 40 years.

Emi gave birth to a history-making three calves. Andalas, born in 2001, was released to the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary (SRS) in Way Kambas National Park, south Sumatra. Suci was born in 2004, and her most recent calf, Harapan, in April 2007.

The worldwide Sumatran rhino population is only about 275.

Image source: flickr.com/photos/walanbaker/ / CC BY 2.0

Rhishja Cota-Larson

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Saving the Sumatran Rhino: Is ‘Sustainable Palm Oil’ Just Another Corporate Buzz Word?

Rhishja Cota-Larson — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 01:30:24 +0000

Sumatran Rhinos are in danger of becoming extinct sooner rather than later: Only about 200 individuals are still surviving.

In addition to continued poaching (fueled by the thriving illegal rhino horn market in China), habitat destruction for palm oil in Indonesia and Malaysia is taking its toll on this fragile species.

To make matters worse, the habitat destruction may not be curtailed any time soon, if accusations that the Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) is merely a “corporate shield” for business as usual turn out to be true.

Because sustainability criteria still remain “controversial”, some conservation groups are questioning the motives of Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) member companies.

Novi Hardianto stated in a Center for Orangutan Protection press release that

It has been six years after RSPO was put into operation but forests are still cleared and orangutans are continually killed. Ironically, this was carried out by RSPO members. All criteria on sustainable palm oil and certification process are merely public lies.

There’s more. An excerpt from an “international declaration against the greenwashing of palm oil” states the following:

The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) – a voluntary certification process
promoted by large NGOs and industry – is an initiative contrary to peoples’ interests.
Declarations by actors involved in RSPO such as the Indonesian Palm Producers
Association (GAPKI), give a clear picture showing that it is a tool for the expansion of
the palm oil business and not an authentic strategy to contain its environmental and
social impacts.

While RSPO member companies have made “public” commitments to “sustainable” palm oil, the reality is that these changes, if indeed they are made, are several years away - 2012 at the earliest.

Unfortunately, Sumatran Rhinos do not have the luxury of time – and 2012 may be too late.

Rhishja Cota-Larson

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