IS it too late to
rescue Sumatran rhinos from the brink of extinction?
Wildlife researchers estimate that there are less than a 100 Sumatran rhinos
left in the world.
In Sabah, state Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Masidi Manjun said
that it was unlikely that there are any rhinos left in the wild.
“We are facing the prospect of our Sumatran rhinos going extinct in our
lifetime,” he said earlier this month at an environment seminar.
The number of Sumatran rhinos have been decreasing rapidly. Over the past 30
years, more Sumatran rhinos have died than born!
“The remaining rhinos simply were too few and far apart, and breeding became
too infrequent,” said Traffic Southeast Asia regional director Dr Chris
Shepherd.
“The rhinos could not find mates and the females became infertile due to a
number of reasons we are only just beginning to understand,” he said, adding
that poachers are also responsible for the dwindling numbers.
Between 1984 and 1995, a total of 22 Sumatran rhinos were captured in
Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah for a captive breeding project.
None of the rhinos bred while in captivity, except for one, which was already
pregnant when captured. All of them have since died.
Filepix showing Tam, a male Sumatran rhino, at the Borneo Rhino Sanctuary in Sabah
Today, Sabah has only three rhinos in captivity and the two females have
problems with their reproductive systems.
Seeing how they have not yet produced any offspring, Dr Shepherd said that this
shows that we do not have a sustainable breeding population to save the
species.
“However, the valiant efforts of those trying to breed these animals, or to
combine them with other Sumatran rhinos in other parts of their remaining
range, or to expand the population through other means, are to be saluted,”
said Dr Shepherd.
“Giving up should not be an option and more resources should be allocated to
ensuring every opportunity is acted upon to save the species overall from
extinction,” he said.
The Sabah Wildlife Department and other stakeholders are currently working to
produce the first Sumatran rhino embryo by the end of 2015, which is then to be
implanted into a female rhino for the fetus to develop.
The project has been in the works since 2013, but the journey has not been
smooth.
The group has hit several speedbumps with failed fertilisation attempts and a
“disaster” that resulted in the loss of semen obtained from the male rhino
because the tank had become empty of nitrogen that was used to keep the
specimen frozen.
I am glad that conservationists are attempting to save the Sumatran rhino, but
I can’t help but wonder if we are doing too little too late.
With only three rhinos left in Sabah, and the females having reproductive
problems, the future is looking bleak for our rhinos.
However, there is still time to change the outcome for several other species
that are also in danger of become extinct in the future, such as the Malayan
tiger and tapir.
It is imperative that funds and efforts are pumped into efforts to conserve
these animals before we hit the point of no return.
Dr Shepherd says that loss of the Sumatran rhino should be a “wake-up call” to
everyone in charge of protecting wildlife and urges for more action to be taken
to save other endangered species.
“The loss of Sumatran rhinos in Sabah is a tragedy. The loss of the species
overall would be a mark of shame on the human race forever,” said Dr Shepherd.
> The views expressed are entirely
the writer’s own
Source : The Star Online
Date : Friday May 1, 2015
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