Sumatran Rhino news thread

This is terrible news.:(:( The very worst zoo news I have ever heard probably. It would seem to effectively dash any hopes of Cincinnati taking part in any further attempts to breed them at the Zoo or anywhere in the US. It may also explain why after the announcement about breeding the siblings together, there was no follow-up information, if Suci was already ailing by then.

What remains longerterm now for Harapan I wonder? Repatriation to Sumatra?
 
Pertinax said:
What remains longerterm now for Harapan I wonder? Repatriation to Sumatra?
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I fear this will indeed be the case - it is a damn shame, I suspect had Port Lympne been given animals actually capable of breeding way back when we might have been looking at a higher population of the species outside the native range now..... :(
 
It is most devastating news. R.I.P. Suci!

I do think it now puts paid to any ex situ breeding of Sumatran rhino out of range countries and that all the skills and knowledge gained at Cincinnati should be used to permanently benefit the ex situ Sabahan (Malaysia) and Sumatran EX SITU breeding programs.
 
This is so unexpected, after all the talk recently of renewed hope this is the last thing I was expecting to hear! :( Such a great loss. R.I.P Suci, without you your species will suffer that bit more with your passing.
 
Pertinax said:
What remains longerterm now for Harapan I wonder? Repatriation to Sumatra?
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In humans it is a heritable disease and many of Suci’s symptoms were similar to those of her mother’s.

Now, the only Sumatran rhino living in North America is Suci’s brother “Harapan” who also resides at the Cincinnati Zoo.
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I would hope they did not, as if this is a heritable disease he may have it and pass it on, and they dont want to introduce something new to kill Sumatran Rinos in Sumatra.
 
Monty said:
I would hope they did not, as if this is a heritable disease he may have it and pass it on, and they dont want to introduce something new to kill Sumatran Rinos in Sumatra.
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The mother Emi was wildcaught so would most likely have brought it with her from Sumatra anyway if it is a true disease, rather than some sort of clinical condition caused by her foreign diet and conditions living in a US Zoo. Its also worth remembering Harapan and Suci's older brother Andalas is now the breeding male in Way Kambas, Sumatra so if genuinely a heritable condition then he might be prone to it too. However I have a feeling that living in his natural environment might preclude that.

I would prefer to see Harapan moved back to Way Kambas a.s.a.p. as a back-up male- the alternative is that he would remain as a single rarity where he is and they just can't afford to do that. I also fear that if he stays in the US, that in time he( or any other Sumatran rhino sent to join him) might well develop the same symptoms as Emi & Suci. Not a critisism at all of their management in the US, but it seems increasingly evident there are insurmountable problems keeping them longterm outside their native environment.
 
Really sad news. I am also agree that - at least at the moment - keeping Sumatran Rhinos in-situ is the only way.
Still, I have hope that maybe one day another ex-situ try can be started with ENOUGH! surplus animals.
 
Its interesting to see how when the Zoo posted the news of Suci's death on 31st March, on their Facebook, just how little response there was. Just a couple of comments, as if people didn't realise what a huge tragedy this was.:(

There is now a short official video of 'Harapan', the remaining male, taken on his 7th birthday. It seems likely he will (hopefully) now see his next one in Sumatra.
 
I think it has been acknowledged for some while that there may be well less than 100 Rhinos remaining- unfortunately it must be very hard to get an accurate estimate, though each turns out to be lower than the last.

This article seems mainly one conservationist's personal opinion of what should be done next. He's suggesting bringing all the rhinos out of the wild now. But I doubt the parties responsible are intending to do anything like that.
 
What I can't quite make out is where this population base figure comes from. Whole species? Total remaining nominate form (ie without those on Borneo, and the fragment that might just survive in Burma (harrisoni and lasiotis respectively))? Or Sumatra alone?

It is pretty obvious that the animal is in dire straits. A couple of Way Kambas style centres seem the best way forward to me, but substantial action with regard to Sumatran Rhino conservation always seems to take so long. And I fear that time is against this wonderful animal.
 
IanRRobinson said:
A couple of Way Kambas style centres seem the best way forward to me, but substantial action with regard to Sumatran Rhino conservation always seems to take so long. And I fear that time is against this wonderful animal.
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I'm not sure how the population estimates break down between the subspecies, again it seems different each time. But I think it certainly only refers to those in Borneo and Sumatra.

If you read some of the posts relating to the future of Cincinnati's 'Harapan' on that forum, you will see not everything at Way Kambas is regarded in a favourable light either. Cultural differences come into play here over management styles. Its considered by the scientific involvement in the West that its taking way too long to continue breeding more from the existing animals- Ratu should have been re-mated and producing another calf by now, while the other breeding age female(Rosa) has yet to produce any at all. There is some critisism of the project being hamstrung by inertia or fear of taking any risks- like introducing rhinos together- hence the reluctance to return Harapan from Cincinnati- although there is no real future for him there either.

Then in the Borneo centre there is the one three-legged female which can't mate naturally, and the more recently captured one, though both may be reproductively non-functioning anyway.

As you said, everything seems to take so long. Lots of talking and 'crisis meetings', but still relatively little action.
 
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