Sustainability
New Baby Sumatran Rhino Gives Hope to All Endangered Rhinos
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Baby Sumatran Rhino Gives Hope to Entire Species
The one thing that can bring hope to a struggling species is a breath of new life.
That’s exactly what the rhino populations of the world got on November 18, 2023. That’s the day a new baby Sumatran rhino was born in Way Kambas National Park, a Sumatran rhino sanctuary in Indonesia.
There are less than 50 Sumatran rhino’s left in the wild today, but this little guy is the embodiment of hope.
Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary
The baby’s parents are already pioneers in rhino protection efforts.
Harapan, the father was born at the Cincinnati Zoo in 2006. He’s the last Sumatran rhino to be sent back to Indonesia. Since his return, no Sumatrans have lived in any other country in the world. The mom, Delilah, was born in an Indonesian Sumatran Rhino sanctuary in 2016. She is the younger sister to Andatu, the first rhino born in captivity in 124 years.
This new male calf is only the second Sumatran rhino to be born in 2023. The Indonesian Government has been known to put in great conservation efforts to protect the rhinos.
Sumatran Rhino Population 2024
The Sumatran rhino is one of the most endangered species of rhinos on Earth. There are only an estimated 34 to 47 individuals left in the wild. The remaining population of Sumatrans live in Sumatra or Borneo, both Islands in Indonesia. They have disappeared entirely from their other historical ranges. This includes China, India, Cambodia, and Thailand.
The population decline has not only been severe but it’s also been fast. Only 35 years ago, the wild population of the Sumatran Rhino was estimated to be over 600.
What Will Happen if Rhinos Go Extinct?
Rhinos are a keystone species. They play a major role in keeping their environment together. If they go extinct, plants and other forms of life will likely disappear. Rhinos spread seeds around their environment in a process called rewilding. Rhinos eat fruits that contain seeds and drop these seeds off in different locations through their dung. The nutrients in the dung allow the seeds to grow into new plants.
Why is the Sumatran Rhino Endangered?
Poaching, habitat loss, and climate change are the main reasons why the Sumatran rhino is endangered.
Poaching
All the Gold on Earth is the result of neutron stars colliding. But as scarce as gold is, it cannot disappear like a species can. A rhinoceros horn is worth more on the black market than gold or diamonds. This puts a huge target right on the nearly vanished Sumatran Rhino.
There is also a belief that Rhino horn contains medicinal properties. This idea may also create a demand for them. However, Science has found no evidence of medical value in the horns. In fact, they’re made of the same protein as our own hair and nails.
There are laws against hunting rhinoceros or trading their horns, of course. But that doesn’t stop the poachers. Over the last fifteen years, poachers have killed thousands of Rhinoceros. This activity is having a devastating impact on the Rhino population.
Habitat Loss
Another stressor faced by the rhinoceroses is the loss of their traditional lands. Sumatran rhinos prefer swamps and lush forests. However, these wild areas are being lost to agricultural and urban development. Things like invasive species and the development of more highways are also taking more of the rhino’s land.
Climate Change
‘Climate change’ is a word we hear on an alarmingly regular basis these days. However, it’s not only humans who are being affected.
Areas of Asia are experiencing weather changes to the extreme. Prolonged and fierce monsoon seasons and flooding can lead to increased numbers of rhino drownings, habitat destruction, and injury.
Yet increasing global temperatures are also causing droughts. Water becomes rare and animals must compete with each other or humans for what little is left.
A change in water levels can also change the range of plant species. The plants the rhinos depend upon can be drowned and destroyed. Moreover, plants that carry disease or damaging invasive species can increase as a result.
How Can the Sumatran Rhino be Saved?
There are plenty of things that are being done to save the Sumatran Rhinoceros. The key is to approach the problem from as many angles as possible.
Monitoring Sumatran Rhino Habitat
Tracking and monitoring rhino distribution and population size in the wild is a complicated job. There is a constant quest to find the best and most scientific methods to do this. By Using evolving techniques and equipment, entire teams can be trained to monitor the Sumatran rhino habitat.
Managing Populations
Taking immediate action to provide protection when rhinos are in danger is important. This is done by creating Protection Zones. These are zones where law enforcement is close to the Sumatran rhino habitat. This can allow them to take action quickly.
Rescuing Sumatran Rhinos
Sumatran rhino conservationists often work together to rescue at-risk rhinos. They put the rescued individuals in facilities that are designed to protect the rhino. One of the most advanced facilities is the sanctuary where the newest baby Sumatran rhino was born.
Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary
All around the world, sanctuaries are being created to try and rescue endangered animals of all species. Indonesia has played a strong role in this.
The Sumatran rhino sanctuary in Indonesia has produced five captive births so far. The Way Kambas National Park currently has a population of ten Sumatran rhinos. The animals live in broad, wild rainforests just like their natural habitat in the wild. The park is not open to the public.
It offers the best veterinary services and also serves as a research facility. Scientists there are trying to learn as much as possible about rhinoceroses. This will allow them to protect both the wild and the captive populations.
Nothing is more vital than this sanctuary to ensuring a future for the Sumatran rhinos.
What is the Future of the Sumatran Rhinoceros?
There is hope for the Sumatran Rhinoceros in the coming years and decades.
The sheer number of people and organizations who are working on the issue inspires this hope.
For now, the sanctuary will keep the animals alive. It will also ensure the rhinos have a safe place to raise their young.
In the future, the rhinos will return to the wild. However, they’ll do this in much safer conditions, according to Rudi Putra.
Rudi is a member of the National Geographic Society and a conservation expert. He’s hard at work trying to restore the Rhino populations in the Leuser Ecosystem. This is one of only two Indonesian habitats where the Sumatran Rhino is still active.
He has great hope that the Sumatran Rhinos can still be saved.
He says “I feel that this hope is not just a fantasy—in 50 years when this question [of the status of the rhino] is asked again I believe it is possible that the Sumatran rhino is no longer critically endangered.”
Now that sounds like good news!
IC INSPIRATION
The Sumatran Rhinoceros has a long way to go. However, its African cousin, the White Rhino, provides a ray of hope.
At the beginning of the 20th century, hundreds of thousands of rhinos walked the plains of Africa. By 2022, there were only about 23,000 left.
It’s a bitter irony that the White Rhino’s high population is the biggest cause of its declining population. Poachers see the bigger population as an open invitation. Between 2012 and 2021, poaching increased by 93%. During this period, the White Rhino population decreased by 24%.
The U.S. and South Africa jumped into action, forming a joint alliance to stop poaching.
The World Wildlife Federation is also protecting the White Rhino. They have a few big goals.
- Expansion and improved management of protected areas.
- Creation of new protected areas.
- Improvement of existing monitoring and law enforcement.
- Cooperation with properly managed tourism experiences to raise funds for conservation efforts.
Most importantly, they’re proving it can be done. A species pushed to the brink of oblivion can make a return. At the end of 2022, the White Rhino had seen an increase of 5.6%, bringing their total number to 16,803. This is the first increase the White Rhino has seen in over a decade.
So, if we can save the White Rhino, it’s only a matter of time before the other four species join the trend.