WWF: Vietnam’s Javan Rhinoceros Now Extinct, Only 50 Left Worldwide

WWF and the International Rhino Foundation confirmed the extinction of the Javan rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus annamiticus) in Vietnam this week.

AsianScientist (Oct. 28, 2011) – The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and the International Rhino Foundation (IRF) have confirmed the extinction of the Javan rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus annamiticus) in Vietnam.

Genetic analysis of 22 dung samples collected by a Cat Tien National Park – WWF survey team from 2009 to 2010 affirm that the samples all belonged to a rhinoceros that was found dead in the park in April 2010, shortly after the survey was completed.

According to a new WWF report released this week, poaching was the most likely cause of death as the animal was found with a bullet in its leg and with its horn removed.

The tragic discovery comes after a 2004 survey conducted by Queen’s University, Canada, that found at least two rhinos living in the park at the time.

“The last Javan rhino in Vietnam has gone,” said Tran Thi Minh Hien, WWF-Vietnam Country Director. “It is painful that despite significant investment in the Vietnamese rhino population, conservation efforts failed to save this unique animal. Vietnam has lost part of its natural heritage.”

The rhinoceros was believed to be extinct from mainland Asia until 1988 when an individual was hunted from the Cat Tien area, leading to the discovery of a small population. From the mid-1990s, a number of organizations were involved in efforts to conserve the remaining Javan rhino population in Cat Tien National Park.

Ironically, it was found that ineffective protection by the park itself was ultimately the cause of the extinction. According to WWF, this is a common problem in most protected areas in Vietnam that threatens the survival of many other species.

Illegal hunting to supply the wildlife trade has reduced many species in Vietnam to small and isolated populations. The tiger, Asian elephant and many endemic species such as the saola, Tonkin snub-nosed monkey, and Siamese crocodile are on the verge of extinction in the country.

Sadly, WWF has ruled out the possibility of re-introducing Javan rhinos into Vietnam.

“Reintroduction of the rhinoceros to Vietnam is not economically or practically feasible. It is gone from Vietnam forever,” said Christy Williams, WWF’s Asian Elephant and Rhino Program Coordinator.

The Javan rhinoceros is now believed to be confined to one population with less than 50 individuals, in a small national park in Indonesia.

With the demand for rhino horn increasing every year due to the Asian traditional medicine trade, protection and expansion of the critically endangered Indonesian population is the highest priority to the Foundation.

“This makes our work in Indonesia even more critical. We must ensure that what happened to the Javan rhinoceros in Vietnam is not repeated in Indonesia a few years down the line,” said Susie Ellis of the International Rhino Foundation.

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Source: World Wide Fund for Nature; Photo: WWF-Canon / Helmut Diller.
Disclaimer: This article does not necessarily reflect the views of AsianScientist or its staff.

Sarah Chin is an animal management officer at the Singapore Zoo. She received a BA degree in natural sciences (zoology) from Cambridge University, UK. Besides caring for animals big and small, Sarah also enjoys wakeboarding and writing about nature and conservation.

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