Which rhino species should be prioritized in conservation ? (poll)

Yeah, I agree. That would be a pretty logical solution. Its a shame there are some issues, but more insight into natural disaster predictions on the island would be needed.

 

I think these stochastic events are very unpredictable anyway.

If it is volcanic activity then there is more of a chance of knowing in advance when an eruption could occur but tsunamis as we know can come out of nowhere and leave a trail of devastation behind them.

 

Yes, I wasn't sure if these Natural disasters were predictable or not, so I didn't say anything as I didn't want to get my facts wrong. So do you think it would be the smartest move to reinstate the rhinos somewhere else?

 

I know about Krakatoa and roughly that the park is in the same region of the site of the famous eruption but I didn't know that it was still active in volcanic activity.

 

I knew it was active in volcanic activity, that's why I was particularly concerned about the Javan rhinos.

 

I think it would be a smart idea to translocate some of the rhinos elsewhere to another protected area, yes, but this is Indonesia afterall.

If the levels of bureaucratic intransigence and infighting present in the effort to conserve the Sumatran rhino are anything to go by (I mean specifically within Indonesia and not the issue between that country and Malaysia) then I don't think that this bodes well for the Javan rhino and translocation efforts either.

 

Thats a shame, because saving the Javan rhino (or sumatran rhino) would be a pretty cool success story in the future! (If it were to come true).

 

While Sumatran is the obvious priority, the stable Javan rhino population is confined to one national park, in an area subject to storms. Splitting the populations in at least 2 different places could be a good back up in case of unfortunate events.

 

Found this article (that I sort of half remember having read) about the 2018 tsunami. I think that even if the rhinos have not yet been impacted by any serious stochastic event it would definitely make sense as you've mentioned to translocate animals to other protected areas.

Deadly tsunami leaves Javan rhinos untouched, but peril persists

 

Thankyou for your comment @Rayane !

Yes, I definitely agree with you, but the difficulty in achieving that will invariably be the human element and bureaucracy.

 

Yes, but sadly (most) governments do not think in such terms regarding conservation issues.

If the Indonesian government thought that way then the Sumatran rhino would not be in the dire straits that it current is and would have been effectively conserved at least three decades ago.

 

Ah ha ! We have our first vote for an African species !

Someone has voted for the black rhino

 

I would most certainly be interested in who chose that and why.

 

Hopefully whoever voted will leave a comment, would be interested to hear their reasons for the vote, adds more dimensions to the poll too.

 

The nothern subspecies is lost, the black and even the javen rhino are somewhat stable (with the black rhino having even a big captive population). While the sumatran rhino has the least stable population with little protection

 

Thank you for your vote and reply @GiratinaIsGod !

So from what you've written regarding the rhino species / subspecies I assume that you voted for the Sumatran rhino in this poll ?

 

The place that could be used for translocation would be Cat Tien National Park in Vietnam. Although there are great risks in the translocation to Vietnam and the protection they would be given at Cat Tien, I believe that with the latest Vietnamese restrictions on wildlife trade, the chances of being poached would somewhat decrease. Also, with the addition of more Rangers and possibly a team just dedicated to the Javan Rhinos at Cat Tien, they could have a second stable population.

Javan Rhinos could be extinct in a flicker because of the natural disasters risks at Ujung Kulon. So, a second population would be essential and wise to have, just to minimize the chances of them going extinct and partially having a backup population.

 

Thank you for those thoughts @Jungle Man that is some smart thinking.