Sumatran Rhino news thread

Batto said:
I've personally encountered cloned specimens of wild species. It kinda robbed me of the confidence in the merits of this procedure for conservation that Colin Tudge instilled in me in Last Animals at the Zoo ...
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Which species have you seen that have been cloned and what was wrong with them?
 
Any good reason why they chose not to send it to the already established and functioning sanctuary? This news is somewhat disconcerting...
 
Pertinax said:
Sounds optimistic but 'ready to breed' with whom? The second (so far non-breeding) female Rosa? She seems to have some problems with breeding. They need a couple more breeding age females. And even then genetically Harapan is just equivalent to Andalas
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I do hope they incorporate hormone therapy and reproductive tract evaluation and treatment..., which I believe, is the only way probably for a female like Rosa to have a chance of becoming a founder animal for a badly needed new generation of Sumatran Sumatran rhinos (with the wild population just at 50-70 and still going down).
 
Kifaru Bwana said:
I do hope they incorporate hormone therapy and reproductive tract evaluation and treatment..., which I believe, is the only way probably for a female like Rosa to have a chance of becoming a founder animal for a badly needed new generation of Sumatran Sumatran rhinos (with the wild population just at 50-70 and still going down).
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I believe Rosa is very humanised, and even if she is fertile and in breeding condition, won't allow natural mating.(?) She has now been at Way Kambas a long time with no breeding though I hope they can somehow overcome that. I think Harapan's main value is simply as a 'spare' in case anything should happen to Andalas.
 
Could anybody provide an overview how many institutions and when actually kept a fertile male and female together, ever? Because the biggest problem may be simply that Sumatran rhinos are so rare that usually only one animal, or a young, elderly or injured ones were kept.
 
Jurek7 said:
Could anybody provide an overview how many institutions and when actually kept a fertile male and female together, ever? Because the biggest problem may be simply that Sumatran rhinos are so rare that usually only one animal, or a young, elderly or injured ones were kept.
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I don't have the exact numbers you're looking for - I'm sure someone here can help piece them together - but I do know that when the small number of Sumatran rhinos were brought into U.S. zoos in the hopes of starting a breeding program, diet issues (among others) led to the quick loss of many animals, with the ultimate result of the only viable breeding pair ending up in Cincinnati. However, even with Emi and Ipuh kept together at Cinci, successful breeding was very difficult and took years to perfect. Breeding success in Indonesia has not been much more successful up to now, even with the added advantage of the years of knowledge gained in Cincinnati. So it's not simply that suitable rhinos weren't kept together - it's that Sumatran rhinos are (or certainly were) difficult to maintain in captivity and even more difficult to breed. Certainly the limited number of individuals ever maintained in the U.S. did not help, but one has to believe that if the only problem was not keeping suitable individuals together that the captive breeding programs in the U.S. and Indonesia would have been a bit more successful over the years.
 
Puntung is due to be euthanised in June due to inoperable cancer. Taken from Borneo Rhino Alliance's Facebook page:

"It is with great sadness that we make this announcement.

Puntung is dying of cancer.

The swelling on Puntung’s left cheek that alerted us to the infected tooth root had a more serious origin. The cancer has been spreading rapidly over the past few weeks. Specialists from several countries concur that it will be fatal, with or without treatment.

As of today, Puntung can no longer breathe through her left nostril, she can no longer vocalise, she is in pain and her condition is declining fast. Other than administering painkillers, there is nothing more anyone can do. Accordingly, the government has authorized euthanasia. This was a very difficult decision to make, but this is the best out of a very small number of unpleasant choices.

This is devastating news for all of those who have been involved in Puntung’s life over the past ten years, from those in SOS Rhino who monitored her wild in the Tabin forests since 2007, those who captured her in 2011, to those who cared for daily and still care for her right up to now.

We thank the many people - from our kind sponsors, to our staff who're providing intensive care to her, and to all of you - who heartened us with their good wishes in April and financial support for the dental surgery and follow-up work.

We have kept in close touch with experts in Europe, South Africa and Thailand, and there is no doubt in our minds that any form of conventional treatment would just prolong her agony. We are also making preparations to try to recover eggs or oocytes from Puntung. With that, she may yet be able to contribute to the survival of her species.

Till then, we will provide her the very best of care, and help to minimize her suffering. By making her as comfortable as possible, we hope to ease the great pain we feel as well."
 
vogelcommando said:
Article about "Hope" :

A rhino called hope
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So they now propose to mate Harapan and Ratu- presumably to give Harapan mating experience, as genetically the calf will be very similar to if the older brother Andalas was used for a third breeding. Ratu is still the only successful breeder of the three females, they need calves from Rosa too, while Bina is a lost cause due to age no doubt unless they have obtained eggs from her.
 
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