With the discovery of three dead Javan rhinos in recent weeks – two in Indonesia’s Ujung Kulon park, one in Vietnam – conservationists are stepping up efforts to save one of the most endangered mammals on the planet, the Associated Press reported.
Only about 50 of the species are left in the wild, nearly all in the 300,000-acre park located about 100 miles from the Indonesian capital Jakarta. The rest are found in Cat Tien National Park in Vietnam.
Officials got a rare glimpse of these vanishing beasts up close in 2009, when a camera trap captured a mother and calf in Ujung Kulon park. Watch the video here:
About 60 more cameras were recently set up in the park, and officials hope it will provide valuable information about the rhino's numbers and habits.
Once the most widespread of Asian rhinoceroses, the Javan rhino is the most threatened of five species today.
The deaths of the rhinos – two of which appear to be of natural causes, one the suspected victim of poachers – have spurred Indonesian officials and conservationists to look at new ways of saving the animals.
This includes construction of a new 10,000-acre sanctuary and breeding ground (complete with 7-mile-long electric fence) located next to Ujung Kulon.
Additionally, conservation groups are trying to find suitable areas for relocation to increase the species’ range. The islands of Java or Sumatra – part of the animal's original range – are possible locations, the researchers said.
That could help the Javan rhinos in two ways: easing competition among other animals for food and water in Ujung Kulon; as well as averting a possible repeat of the 1883 Krakatau volcano eruption, which nearly wiped out the species when it sent a 120-foot tsunami into the park. That volcano is still active today.
Watch more Discovery News videos of endangered animals here.
Tags: Animals, Current Events, Extinct Animals, Mammals, Mass Extinction
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