Rhino Horn is NOT Medicine » Indonesia

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

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.

Website - Twitter - Facebook - More Posts

See Rhino Horn is Not Medicine for more information.

New Year Sees Positive Start for Asian Rhinos

Rhishja Cota-Larson — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 20:25:29 +0000

Syndicated via Planetsave.

Rhishja Cota-Larson

Website - Twitter - Facebook - More Posts

See Rhino Horn is Not Medicine for more information.

Take Action to Protect the World’s Only Javan Rhinos

Rhishja Cota-Larson — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 23:23:28 +0000

“Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.” – William James

There are fewer than 50 Javan rhinos left in the world and you can help protect them by supporting Operation Javan Rhino, a global partnership led by International Rhino Foundation and Save the Rhino International.

Javan rhinos at risk

With the recent extinction of the Javan rhino in Vietnam, there is only one population of Javan rhinos left on Earth.

All of them live in Ujung Kulon National Park on the island of Java, Indonesia.

The Javan rhino is at significant risk of extinction – one natural disaster or an introduced disease could be the end of this species forever.

But you can help prevent the extinction of Javan rhinos!

Operation Javan Rhino

Operation Javan Rhino is creating 4,000 hectares of expanded habitat for Javan rhinos in Ujung Kulon, to encourage population growth and establish a second “insurance” population of Javan rhinos at a separate site.

Here’s what Operation Javan Rhino is doing to make the new habitat suitable and safe for Javan rhinos:

Clearing the site for an electric fence and adjacent patrol road
Constructing a fence and small bridges
Planting rhino food plants and removing invasive species
Creating a water supply and salt-lick
Constructing new guard posts
Hiring and training more guards and other staff from local villages
Launching an education program for nearby communities

This immense project costs $650,000 – and $350,000 has already been raised. International Rhino Foundation and Save the Rhino International are asking for your help in raising the additional funds needed to prevent the extinction of the Javan rhino.

Please visit the International Rhino Foundation’s Operation Javan Rhino page to make your donation and learn more.

Sources: International Rhino Foundation and Save the Rhino International

Rhishja Cota-Larson

Website - Twitter - Facebook - More Posts

See Rhino Horn is Not Medicine for more information.

Indonesia’s Javan Rhino Population May Hold Only Four Females

Rhishja Cota-Larson — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 23:15:11 +0000

Camera traps recorded just four females in a recent survey.

It is barely a week since the extinction of the Javan rhino subspecies (Rhinoceros sondaicus annamiticus) was confirmed, and already there is troubling news about the remaining Javan rhinos.

There may be just a handful of females among the world’s last population of Javan rhinos (Rhinoceros sondaicus sondaicus), which are found only in Indonesia.

According to The Jakarta Globe, camera traps recorded 17 rhinos this year and only four were females.

The rhinos were found in the eastern half of Ujung Kulon National Park.

Video of Javan rhino and calf:

Recently, the video cameras were moved to the western half of the park, which is “more remote”.

It is hoped that additional female Javan rhinos will be found; the results could be known in a few weeks.

Learn more about the extinction of the Javan rhino in Vietnam at “Gone Forever: Javan Rhino Declared Extinct in Vietnam“.

‘Operation Javan Rhino’

However, there is hope for Javan rhinos in Indonesia.

The International Rhino Foundation (IRF) along with an international team of partners, is working to expand the useable habitat for Javan rhinos in UKNP by creating the 4,000 hectare Javan Rhino Study and Conservation Area (JRSCA).

We are doing this by constructing small bridges, an electric fence, and a patrol road; eradicating invasive species which have taken over a good portion of the habitat; planting rhino food plants; providing a water supply and saltlick; and constructing additional guard posts. The continued survival of the Javan rhino depends on their population increasing in numbers as rapidly as possible, and in spreading the population out so that ‘all the eggs are not in one basket’.

Find out how you can help Operation Javan Rhino here.

Image via YouTube

Rhishja Cota-Larson

Website - Twitter - Facebook - More Posts

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

Website - Twitter - Facebook - More Posts

See Rhino Horn is Not Medicine for more information.

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.

Website - Twitter - Facebook - More Posts

See Rhino Horn is Not Medicine for more information.

Just Released: Exciting New Videos of Javan Rhinos and Calves in Indonesia

Rhishja Cota-Larson — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 05:25:35 +0000

Dramatic video footage confirms that Javan rhinos are breeding!

The World Wildife Fund (WWF) has just released exciting videos showing two female Javan rhinos and their calves in Indonesia’s Ujung Kulon National Park. Javan rhinos are critically endangered and fewer than 50 individuals are still surviving.

The footage was captured using a motion-activated camera in the Park, located on the island of Java.

Video #1: Female Javan rhino with her male calf:

Video #2: Another female rhino with her female calf:

The videos were filmed between November and December 2010, thanks to WWF and the Ujung Kulon National Park Authority.

International partnership

An international partnership that includes WWF, Ujung Kulon National Park authorities, International Rhino Foundation, Indonesia Rhino Foundation, Asian Rhino Project, IUCN/SSC Rhino Specialist Group and local communities, is working to monitor the remaining rhinos, establish a new population by relocating several individuals, and protect them from the ever-present danger of being killed for their single horn.

Chief scientist at WWF, Dr. Eric Dinerstein is cautiously optimistic about the videos, and noted that a volcanic eruption by Anak Krakatau or a disease outbreak could render these rhino extinct.

The videos are great news for Javan rhinos and prove that they are breeding in Ujung Kulon. There are no Javan rhinos in captivity—if we lose the population in the wild, we’ve lost them all.

Dr. Dinerstein is the author of The Return of the Unicorns: The Natural History and Conservation of the Greater One-Horned Rhinoceros.

The head of Asian species conservation at WWF, Dr. Barney Long is hopeful about the future of Javan rhinos.

It’s such a joy to see these healthy calves calmly ambling through the dense tropical forest. It gives me hope for the future of the species and it’s moments like these that make all of the hard work of Indonesia’s dedicated field staff worthwhile.

WWF has set up an emergency fund to help establish a secondary population of critically endangered Javan rhinos in Indonesia.

A recent census determined there are no more than 48 Javan rhinos in Indonesia. There are perhaps only four individuals of a Javan rhino subspecies in Vietnam. Tragically, one of the last of its kind was found shot with the horn chopped off last year in Cat Tien National Park.

Illegal rhino killings at 16-year high

The current rate of illegal rhino killings has reached a 16-year high, as demand for rhino horn from China and Vietnam is soaring. According to cultural folklore, rhino horn is believed to “cure” a wide range of ailments – from fever to “devil possession” – and is still highly sought after for use in traditional medicines.

According to rhino conservation organizations, including the International Rhino Foundation, rhino poaching is a high-stakes endeavor undertaken by organized crime networks. These syndicates often involve corrupt government officials and foreign diplomats. Cathy Dean, executive director of Save the Rhino International, confirmed that “rhinos are killed for the sole intention of selling their horns on the black market”.

Rhino horn has actually undergone rigorous scientific testing by the pharmaceutical company Hoffmann LaRoche and by renowned rhino horn expert Dr. Raj Amin at the Zoological Society of London (ZSL). The results were conclusive: Rhino horn has no medicinal value whatsoever.

Source: “Critically Endangered Javan Rhinos and Calves Captured on Video.” WWF. 27 February 2011

Rhishja Cota-Larson

Website - Twitter - Facebook - More Posts

See Rhino Horn is Not Medicine for more information.

Help IRF Buy a Patrol Boat for Javan Rhino Anti-Poaching Units

Rhishja Cota-Larson — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 00:57:17 +0000

Fewer than 50 Javan rhinos are still surviving – but you can help save them from extinction.

The International Rhino Foundation seeks your help in purchasing a new boat for its Rhino Protection Units (RPUs) in Ujung Kulon National Park, Indonesia. River patrols are a vital part of protecting Javan rhinos because most poachers and encroachers use the river to illegally access the park and its wildlife.

Ujung Kulon National Park: Home of the world’s last viable population of Javan rhinos

Javan rhinos have been hunted to near-extinction because their horns are considered an essential ingredient in traditional Chinese medicine – despite the fact that rhino horn has been extensively tested and actually contains no medicinal properties.

Sadly, these medicinal myths about rhino horn has placed all five rhino species in peril.

In addition, these shy rhinos have been forced into smaller and smaller areas by increasing human populations which continue to encroach on Javan rhino habitat.

Javan rhinos survive in part because of the efforts of the International Rhino Foundation’s courageous Rhino Protection Units (RPUs).

RPUs are elite anti-poaching teams, made of up local people from the villages surrounding Ujung Kulon National Park in Indonesia (home to the sole remaining viable population of Javan rhinos).

These brave and committed individuals leave their families behind and sometimes put their lives on the line to protect rhinos. They spend at least 15 days per month patrolling and camping in the forests, where they monitor rhinos, remove snares and traps that might injure them, and apprehend poachers and others committing illegal activities in the park.

A new boat for the RPUs is USD $10,000 – and one of IRF’s long-time donors has made an extremely generous pledge, and has issued a challenge.

Between now and October 31^st, every donation made for Operation Javan Rhino will be matched (up to $5,000) to help purchase a new boat for the RPUs. For example, if you give a donation of $5 today, it will be doubled to $10. A donation of $50 becomes $100.

To donate to International Rhino Foundation’s Operation Javan Rhino, click here.

Source: International Rhino Foundation

Image: Wikimedia Commons

Rhishja Cota-Larson

Website - Twitter - Facebook - More Posts

See Rhino Horn is Not Medicine for more information.

Javan Rhino Head Commands Surprisingly High Price at Australian Auction

Rhishja Cota-Larson — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 07:26:11 +0000

Rhino horn continues to fetch unusually high prices at antiques auctions.

Less than a month after the UK tightened regulations around rhino horn exports, a rhino horn and a Javan rhino head have reportedly taken top dollar at an antiques auction in Sydney, Australia.

A rhino horn sold for $90,000 and a Javan rhino trophy head fetched a surprising $108,000; a pair of bull elephant tusks sold for $96,000.

… enthusiasm for Anderson’s taxidermy and animal artefacts section was even more unexpected. A pair of African bull elephant tusks sold for $96,000 and a rare rhino horn went for $90,000, both above estimate. Top result was for the Javan rhinoceros trophy head, which sold for $108,000.

Although the rhino horn buyers were not named, The Sydney Morning Herald noted that 83 percent of the winning bids came from Australians.

Illegal rhino horn dealers turn to legal auctions

Earlier this month, the UK cracked down on rhino horn exports after observing an unusual increase in the number of rhino horn items being sold through auction house.

In addition, “worked” rhino horn items, such as carvings and taxidermy, were commanding prices in excess of their actual value. For example, a buyer from mainland China paid a record £106,000 (USD $164,046) for a rhinoceros horn mount.

The agency which regulates trade in endangered species for the UK, Animal Health suspects that illegal rhino horn dealers are using legal trade as a smokescreen.

In July, the European Taxidermy Federation (ETF) issued a warning last month to its members that “suspicious” buyers were posing as representatives seeking African trophies – rhino horn in particular – for castles or museums.

A perusal of the U.S.-based Taxidermy.net‘s public forum revealed that several members have been contacted in a similar manner.

Rhino horn is in high demand for use in traditional medicines in China and Vietnam, despite the fact that rhino horn has been extensively analyzed and actually contains no medicinal properties.

Source: The Sydney Morning Herald

Image: Wikimedia Commons

Rhishja Cota-Larson

Website - Twitter - Facebook - More Posts

See Rhino Horn is Not Medicine for more information.

International Partnership Moves Forward to Provide Safe Haven for Critically Endangered Javan Rhinos

Rhishja Cota-Larson — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 16:42:39 +0000

There is hope for the world’s 48 Javan rhinos, thanks to a team of international rhino conservation groups.

An exciting project to expand the habitat of the world’s only viable population of critically endangered Javan rhinos is moving forward, thanks to a coalition of international rhino conservation organizations.

Another 9,884 acres (4,000 ha) of habitat will be created in Indonesia’s Ujung Kulon National Park as a safeguard against extinction that could be caused by a disease outbreak or a natural disaster, such as a volcanic eruption. The expanded area is also expected to encourage breeding and increase the population of the world’s rarest large mammal.

According to Dr. Susie Ellis, executive director of the International Rhino Foundation, having all of the Javan rhinos in a single location keeps the species at a high risk of extinction.

With the help of the Rhino Foundation of Indonesia, the Worldwide Fund for Nature, Save the Rhino, and the Indonesian government, we have committed to improving the available habitat for Javan rhinos to increase and spread out the population.

After last year’s habitat assessment study by the partners, the recommendation was to set up a Javan Rhino Study and Conservation Area in Gunung Honje area (in the eastern part of the park) so that rhinos could fully utilize the Park’s land.

$300,000 needed to complete the project

In order to complete this effort, the International Rhino Foundation launched Operation Javan Rhino to help raise USD $300,000 in funds. The money will be used to plant rhino food plants, create water sources and wallows, construct guard posts and patrol routes, and hire anti-poaching units to patrol the area.

Widodo Ramono, executive director of the Rhino Foundation of Indonesia, noted that the ground team is already working in the park, constructing an electric fence, small bridges and new patrol routes.

We will also improve the habitat by removing invasive plants and providing an improved and reliable water supply.

Agus Priambudi, director of Ujung Kulon National Park added that intensive management of the Park is being expanded.

A number of encroachers were moved from within the Park, and we are constructing new guard posts so that the Gunung Honje area is better protected.

And thanks to daily monitoring by Rhino Protection Units, Javan rhinos have been kept safe from poachers.

Rhino Protection Units

Over the past 14 years, rhino poaching has essentially been eliminated from the park due to the diligence of Rhino Protection Units, who monitor the Javan rhino population daily by following footprints and assessing dung. Video camera traps have also been installed by WWF Indonesia, and 60 cameras were generously donated by the Aspinall Foundation in January.

Site manager for WWF Indonesia’s project in the Park, Adhi Rachmat Hariyadi, explained that the camera traps provide essential data for determining how many rhino occupy Ujung Kulon.

So far, from the videos we have analyzed, we have identified 27 individual rhinos and extrapolated a maximum of 47 animals in the Park, which still needs to be confirmed by ground surveys.

Expanding the Javan rhinos’ habitat is a critical first step in bringing these animals back from the very edge of extinction. The next step will be identifying a secondary location elsewhere in Indonesia, and translocating rhinos to that area, to create another population of Javan rhinos.

Illegal rhino killings at 16-year high

According to rhino experts, including the International Rhino Foundation, rhino poaching is a high-stakes endeavor undertaken by organized crime networks. These syndicates often involve corrupt government officials and foreign diplomats. Cathy Dean, executive director of Save the Rhino International, confirmed that “rhinos are killed for the sole intention of selling their horns on the black market”.

Source: International Rhino Foundation

Rhishja Cota-Larson

Website - Twitter - Facebook - More Posts

See Rhino Horn is Not Medicine for more information.