Only 13 Endangered Rhinos Found On Borneo - WWF
Date: 17-Mar-06
Country: SWITZERLAND
The Swiss-based conservation group said it and Malaysian authorities have put in place protection units to patrol Sabah state in northern Borneo, where experts found evidence of 13 rare Sumatran rhinos during an extensive survey last year.
"Poaching has decimated Borneo's once-healthy rhino population, but we were heartened to find that a few individuals have managed to cling to survival," said Raymond Alfred of WWF-Malaysia.
Previous estimates had suggested there were 30 to 70 rhinos on Borneo, all in Sabah, one of two Malaysian provinces on the forest-covered island. Rhinos in Sarawak, the other Malaysian state, and on the Indonesian side of Borneo are believed to be extinct, it said.
Fewer than 300 Sumatran rhinos are believed to be left in the world and they are considered one of the most endangered rhino species because of intense poaching, according to the WWF, previously known as the World Wildlife Fund.
The survey's findings were withheld until protection could be organised for the rhinos due to continued poaching fears, it added. Rhino horn, mainly sold for use in traditional Asian medicines, carries a high price on the black market.
"We believe this population may be viable and could recover if their habitat is protected and the threat of poaching is eliminated," said Christy Williams of WWF's Asian rhino programme.
Sumatran rhinos are only found in peninsular Malaysia and on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra, Indonesia, according to WWF.
