Javan Rhino news

Latest Javan rhino census :

Javan rhino population holds steady amid ever-present peril

 

A male Javan rhinoceros was found dead on a beach in Ujung Kulon. Officials believe that the animal, that was nearly 30 years old, died of natural causes.

On the other hand camera trap photographs show that two of the female rhinos, affectionately known as Puri and Dewi, have given birth to new calves.

More information is in the article below:
Two newborn Javan rhinos spotted on camera in Indonesian park

 

Great News, the numbers are ever increasing!

 

Strange to see that photo of the old dead bull Rhino on the beach. Maybe he got stuck walking in soft sand and just died there- it seems a strange location otherwise to die in.

 

Not so, apparently when starting boat patrols the rangers' force quite frequently have seen them ranging on the sea front.

 

The male Javan rhino, affectionately known as Samson, found dead on a beach at Ujung Kulon has been examined, with the cause of death believed to be complications from a twisted bowel. This has put to rest fears that the death was due to either poaching or contagious diseases, but has added urgency to calls for a portion of the population to be relocated to a second site, in the event of a disaster or disease outbreak.

More information included on the link below:
Indonesia cites twisted bowel in death of Javan rhino

 

Also two more babies have arrived bringing up the total known numbers to 68

 

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I hope they saved the skin and skeleton for educational use in a museum somewhere. We need to keep physical records of endangered species and taxidermy is still an excellent way of showcasing natures the public in a way you can't do on a computer or TV screen!

 

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I hope I'll see one in the wild before they go extinct. I've only seen the juvenile at Harvard and the large female in London's Natural History Museum.

 

The Sumatran species is far more likely to go extinct than the Javan species. The Javan rhinos have actually seen a good and continual increase over the last decade or so. The Sumatran rhino numbers both in Kalimantan and Sumatera have seen substantial declines and to the point that a Kalimantan population might contain 10-20 individuals at best and the Sumateran ssp. 80 - 100 and declining ..... still!

 

True. But I think its fair to say both species are on a knifes edge. Lets not let the Sumatrans more perilous situation undermine the seriousness of the Javan's!

 

Well said! In my opinion [biased] the Javan Rhino should indeed get more protection and support since it is older than the Indian Rhino in the fossil record. The species is a living fossil and great indicator on the evolution of its larger cousin (R. unicornis) considering it's a forest dwelling species of Rhinoceros that gradually expanded its habitat from dense tropical jungles (R. s. sondaicus) to swampy grasslands (R. s. inermis). Its such a shame that there's only one subspecies left!

 

I am just merely stating the facts and that the situation for the Javan rhino has been relatively stable and actually an increasing population. Aside, at the moment the Yayasan Badak and Ujung Kulon team are making arrangements to translocate rhinos to a newly selected site. However, the preperatory work takes time and no hasty decisions should be made ... that could actually put the slowly growing population in Ujung Kulon at undue risk. The first steps in all this have been extending the Ujung Kulon PA borderline to include a new area and ensuring that 2 main obstacles to the rhino population growing within the PA were competition with local banteng populations and the invasive Arenga and other vegetation unpalatable to rhinos from the core area.

For the Sumatran rhino however it has been a continuous rollcoaster decline over the last 2 decades and with no effective reperative conservation strategy in place to put a stop to the decline other than the excellent job(s) the anti poaching brigades and ranger teams on the ground are doing in the 3 main protected areas that still hold Sumatrans on Sumatera (Way Kambas, Gunung Leuser and Bukit Barisan). It is more at government level and the continued infringements on Indonesia's Sumateran protected area system by outside development interests and illegal occupation of protected lands at the government level! The latter really needs to be adressed more effectively by the central government and the Ministry of the Environment. I have some faith in the new minister at the helm than over decades past ... though.

Finally, I do wonder if you guys even begin to understand the challenges of wildlife conservation in invariably diverse country like RM Indonesia with an ever expanding human population ....! And well ..., seeing as the Javan rhinos occur on the very densely populated island of Java human-wildlife conflict has already led to many of the iconic and larger species resident and or endemic to the island are only restricted to the various more or less intact protected areas - and even these face continual battles with local populace over territory -.

 

Good article about the history of the Javan rhino :

The Fragile Success of Javan Rhino Conservation

 

Unfortunately the current government of Indonesia would be happy
if a volcano wiped out the Javan rhino. I doubt they will ever endorse
moving any to another location - in Indonesia.

Things can change but they are pretty pro corruption (which for wild lands and wildlife means eff em and exploit whatever you can) when it comes to conservation.

 

Unfortunately, the older generation of conservationists is a bit of "let them die with dignity" kind, which generally opposes any intervention. Which is also convenient politically, because a conservationist who takes no risk cannot be accused of an error.

Javan Rhino appears to be a grazer similar to Indian Rhino, which was pushed to unsuitable dense forest. The best avenue to increase their population would be to establish grazing areas in/near the Ujung Kulon. This should benefit additionaly the wild Banteng. The main problem seems to be easy oversight of such places against poachers and disease-spreading domestic livestock.

 

I think I read that the banteng, whilst endangered themselves, are actually competing with the rhino and thus a reduction in banteng numbers would actually be of benefit to rhino recovery.

 

What makes you think that way and on what basis since you are using pretty strong wording?

 

Because Banteng, too, is a grazer pushed by man into closed forest. Ujung Kulon offers less and less food for both, as tall forest naturally regrows a century after the Krakatoa destruction. Which pushes rhinos and bantengs into competition.

The situation mimics other parts of the world, for example Wisents in Europe or Indian Rhinos in Assam. They fare better in artificial grassland pastures than in mature forest.

And yes, one should think about a second insurance population - in a lowland forest with sufficient safe and open grazing areas.

 

For elusive Javan rhinos, camera traps are a benevolent Big Brother