Posted on 31 March 2013
| Sendawar, Indonesia -- A team from WWF-Indonesia
has found fresh footprints resembling those
of a critically endangered Sumatran rhino
in the Heart of Borneo (HoB) area of East
Kalimantan, Indonesia, the first time in
over two decades that traces of the elusive
rhino have appeared in the area.
To confirm the presence
of the rare animal, a second team comprised
of WWF-Indonesia, the West Kutai Forestry
Agency, Mulawarman University and local
observers launched a follow-up survey that
found more evidence of rhino footprints,
active mud wallows, marks on tree trunks,
and signs that the rhinoceros species had
been feeding in the area.
The survey team also
identified more than 20 plant species rhinos
feed on in abundance in the area, including
Dillenia supruticosa, Glochidion glomemerulatum
and Nblia Japanica. The abundant food and
the overall natural conditions of the area
further support the findings.
“This is a very important
finding to the world, and especially to
Indonesia's conservation work, as this serves
as a new record on the presence of Sumatran
rhinos in East Kalimantan and especially
in West Kutai,” said Bambang Noviyanto,
the director for biodiversity conservation
at the Forestry Ministry.
“Information surrounding
the presence becomes important to draft
strategies to protect the population, if
it is found to be viable and breeding, and
to educate [people living around] the habitat
where [traces] of rhinos have been found,”
continued Bambang.
Experts taking part
in the survey stated that no visual sighting
has been made to date, and also cautioned
that it is still too early to confirm whether
the signs were made by a group of rhinos
or just one remaining individual.
Sumatran rhinos in Kalimantan
were presumed extinct in early 11000s. The
International Union for Conservation of
Nature (IUCN) has classified the rare animal
as Critically Endangered, with a population
of fewer than 275 individuals now living
in the wild.
Commenting on the findings,
WWF-Indonesia conservation director Nazir
Foead said, “WWF-Indonesia together with
all stakeholders will conduct a follow-up
and more comprehensive survey to map rhinos'
habitat preference and their population
in West Kutai.”
“Based on the result
of this survey, joint strategies and comprehensive
and holistic action plans need to be immediately
formulated.”
Nazir further stated
that the conservation plan and efforts for
Sumatran Rhinos needed to be long-term,
and therefore sustainable funding was needed,
partly to ensure that the work also benefit
people living around the rhinos' habitat.
The head of the West
Kutai district, Ismael Thomas SH. M.Si,
said, “Rhinos, dolphins, clouded leopards
and local buffalo are among God's creations
that are getting rare, but apparently they're
still alive in West Kutai”. Ismael added,
“We must protect them, and the communities
must live in harmony with nature.”
According to Ismael,
the West Kutai administration is committed
to protecting rhinos, and will immediately
issue a law on Endangered Animal and Plant
Protection.
In partnership with
WWF Indonesia, the local government will
form a team to study and investigate the
presence of the animals, to decide on precise
conservation policies and programs, as well
as sources of funding to support efforts
to protect rhinos.
+ More
Baby rhinos signal success
of Assam translocation
Posted on 27 March 2013
| Two translocated rhinos in north east
India have given birth indicating the rhinos
are breeding successfully and have adapted
well to their new environment.
A male Rhino, translocated
to the Manas National Park in the state
of Assam in 2012, and a female, translocated
in 2011, were sighted this week with their
new born calves by WWF-India researchers
and Assam Forest Department staff tasked
with monitoring the rhinos.
The sighting confirms
that the mating and subsequent pregnancy
happened in Manas, in total three calves
have been born to translocated rhinos in
the park to date.
The good news comes
amidst a recent spurt in poaching of rhinos
in Assam, nine rhinos have been poached
this year, the most recent case occurred
in February when a rhino was found shot
dead with its horn removed in Kaziranga
National Park.
The two rhinos were
translocated under the aegis of the Indian
Rhino Vision 2020 programme (IRV 2020) -
a joint initiative of the Department of
Environment and Forests, Government of Assam;
WWF-India; the International Rhino Foundation
(IRF) and the US Fish and Wildlife Service,
along with the Bodoland Territorial Council
and supported by a number of local organisations.
A total of 18 rhinos
– ten from the Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary
and eight from the Kaziranga National Park
have been translocated to the Manas National
Park so far.
Under IRV 2020, Manas
National Park has been provided with much
support to upgrade its infrastructure and
monitoring capabilities to enable better
protection for the translocated rhinos.
It is now important to ensure the safety
of these newborn calves and their mothers
as well as the other rhinos in Manas so
that the vision of establishing a viable
rhino population is achieved over the long
term.
WWF and IRF are excited
at the prospect of partnering with the Assam
Forest Department to return rhinos to the
Laokhowa-Burachapori complex in Assam in
the coming years, a site from where they
were poached out in the 1980s.
The high demand for
rhino horn in the illegal wildlife trade
continues to be the biggest threat this
newly established rhino population is facing
with three translocated rhinos having fallen
prey to poachers in the past two years.
At this month’s Convention
on the International Trade of Endangered
Species (CITES) world governments decided
to start taking action against countries
doing little or nothing to stop the illegal
ivory and rhino horn trades.
Governments extended
better protection to threatened rhinos by
pledging to work against organized crime
syndicates that are smuggling rhino horn
through the black market by increasing penalties.
In addition, countries adopted a plan to
reduce demand for illegal wildlife products
like rhino horn, which is believed wrongly
to be a miracle cure in Viet Nam.
