Last ditch effort to save Sumatran rhino

DavidBrown

DavidBrown

Well-Known Member
15+ year member
The governments of Indonesia and Malaysia had a "Sumatran Rhino Crisis Summit" to work out what needs to be done to save the Sumatran rhino. Hopefully this will provide some concrete conservation action that can turn around the decline of the species.

With less than 100 individuals remaining in the wild and with the captive breeding program largely a failure so far, this may really be the last chance.

IUCN - Last chance for the Sumatran rhino
 
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Surprisingly, all figures on SE Asian rhinos have gone down now that more accurate surveying is being practiced. It is rather shocking that even the well established Sumatran parks with Sumatran rhinos now are thought to have significantly less rhinos than previously expected.
 
Does anyone have an opinion as to just how viable harrisoni is? Should it be mixed with animals from the nominate form?
 
IanRRobinson said:
Does anyone have an opinion as to just how viable harrisoni is? Should it be mixed with animals from the nominate form?
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I say if it can be saved as a pure form then it should but if we have no choice but to mix them in order to save the species as a whole then I think it should be done. Personally I'd like to see it stay pure.

~Thylo:cool:
 
DavidBrown said:
The governments of Indonesia and Malaysia had a "Sumatran Rhino Crisis Summit" to work out what needs to be done to save the Sumatran rhino. Hopefully this will provide some concrete conservation action that can turn around the decline of the species.

With less than 100 individuals remaining in the wild and with the captive breeding program largely a failure so far, this may really be the last chance.

IUCN - Last chance for the Sumatran rhino
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This took place a few days before you began dismissing the the years of devotion of many of the people in attendance as a failure despite the many successes which ate the basis for this agreement.

Ian, the animals are managed at species level.
 
Kifaru Bwana said:
Surprisingly, all figures on SE Asian rhinos have gone down now that more accurate surveying is being practiced. It is rather shocking that even the well established Sumatran parks with Sumatran rhinos now are thought to have significantly less rhinos than previously expected.
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Exactly :) I have tried to explain that a large reason for the 'population decline' is a result of revisions due to more accurate census techniques (such as faecal DNA work) but it didn't sink in :(
 
Dicerorhinus said:
This took place a few days before you began dismissing the the years of devotion of many of the people in attendance as a failure despite the many successes which ate the basis for this agreement.
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I did no such thing. I commended the people who devoted their energies to helping the animals.

You are spreading inaccurate information about the success of the captive breeding program Dicerorhinus, which really isn't helpful to the rhinos or anybody.

Please stay on topic with this thread and stay civil. You aren't contributing anything useful to the discussion by calling people names and claiming things that aren't true.
 
DavidBrown said:
I did no such thing. I commended the people who devoted their energies to helping the animals.

You are spreading inaccurate information about the success of the captive breeding program Dicerorhinus, which really isn't helpful to the rhinos or anybody. Please stay on topic with this thread and stay civil.
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Everything I've said is accurate but You're welcome to highlight anything you feel isn't.

This is absolutely on topic. One of the agreements is to extend the use of reproductive technology pioneered by Dr Roth, you know, one of the successes of the program you continually write off as "almost a complete failure".
 
Dicerorhinus said:
Exactly :) I have tried to explain that a large reason for the 'population decline' is a result of revisions due to more accurate census techniques (such as faecal DNA work) but it didn't sink in :(
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The population is much smaller than people thought, whether that is an artifact of sampling or a genuine decline seems rather beside the point, but it seems likely that it is both.

Given the continued fragmentation and destruction of their habitat, it seems likely that the rhino population is genuinely declining.
 
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DavidBrown said:
The population is much smaller than people thought, whether that is an artifact of sampling or a genuine decline seems rather beside the point, but it seems likely that it is both.

Given the continued fragmentation and destruction of their habitat, it seems likely that the rhino population is genuinely declining.
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The species has been restricted to protected areas for years and as a result finds it's self in much the same situation as the Javan rhino. As long as current levels of protection are maintained (or even ramped up) the population, with any luck, will now be stable.
 
Dicerorhinus said:
The species has been restricted to protected areas for years and as a result finds it's self in much the same situation as the Javan rhino. As long as current levels of protection are maintained (or even ramped up) the population, with any luck, will now be stable.
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That would be a great thing, and hopefully will be what happens.
 
Just a quick note. I doubt any animals will be coming into captivity soon, unless there are animals that are in contact(as with Rosa & Ratu) with people. The male Sumatran at Los Angeles will be transfered to Cincinnati in the fall.
 
Dicerorhinus said:
I'm going to pm you
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The Pertinax question re both the Kalimantese and Sumatran Sumatrans has bothered me in the same way. I cannot see how else we can practise intensive management. One reason the population is not reproducing very well is due to the long distances between individual animals ... at least on Kalimantan.

In Sumatra I would think the B.Barisan population remains the most significant (as historically been the most robust), with Leuser at least reproducing (at least from recent foot print evidence). Either Way Kambas and Kerinci Seblat not so sure as to population density is like (one being without or almost so).

I would say a first step being the large scale siting of camera trapping efforts done so with Javan rhinos in Ujung Kulon should give the most accurate data on both sex ratios, population structure and reproductive health of all individual populations.

Whether we should lump in both Kalminatese and Sumatran Sumatrans together in one SCU or as separate subspecies is also hypothetical.

I would love to have answers to both dilemmas ... as yet I have none given the paucity on cited current population numbers in all conservation areas (luckily ... they are all conservation / protected habitats).
 
Kifaru Bwana said:
The Pertinax question re both the Kalimantese and Sumatran Sumatrans has bothered me in the same way. I cannot see how else we can practise intensive management. One reason the population is not reproducing very well is due to the long distances between individual animals ... at least on Kalimantan.
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Would you like a pm about this?

Kifaru Bwana said:
In Sumatra I would think the B.Barisan population remains the most significant (as historically been the most robust), with Leuser at least reproducing (at least from recent foot print evidence). Either Way Kambas and Kerinci Seblat not so sure as to population density is like (one being without or almost so).
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You're correct about BBNP, WKNP has a more significant population than KSNP. The problem with using foot prints for census techniques is it can lead to over estimations with populations as occurred in India with tigers in the past.

Kifaru Bwana said:
I would say a first step being the large scale siting of camera trapping efforts done so with Javan rhinos in Ujung Kulon should give the most accurate data on both sex ratios, population structure and reproductive health of all individual populations.
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Yes, although this is considerably more difficult here because the rhino are split into several sub-populations. Javan Rhino are for the most part restricted to a known area of UKNP because much of the park is no longer suitable for the species making camera trap census more reliable.

Kifaru Bwana said:
Whether we should lump in both Kalminatese and Sumatran Sumatrans together in one SCU or as separate subspecies is also hypothetical.
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All captive animals are now managed as part of a single breeding program regardless of subspecies.
 
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