Indonesian rhinos face extinction
Illegal hunting is threatening the rare Sumatran rhinoceros with extinction. The Indonesian government must combat poachers if this rare animal is to survive, say Indonesian conservationists.
Agus Irianto, head of the study group for population and environment in West Sumatra's Padang IKIP university has urged the government to begin a breeding project and manage development of the habitat for the Sumatran and Javan rhinoceros.
Irianto said that illegal hunting of Sumatran rhinos is continuing. The animals are hunted for their horns, which are sold throughout Asia for their alleged aphrodisiac properties.
Indonesia's Zoological Association has estimated that only about 400 Sumatran rhinoceroses remain in the wild. Conservation officials dispute that figure and estimate that only about 100 of the rare beasts remain in the Sumatran jungle, while there are around 700 worldwide.
In addition to the dangers of poaching, the Sumatran rhinos' population has dwindled as their habitat is destroyed by development activities.
In an attempt to save the endangered rhinos from extinction, Indonesia and the US Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums signed an agreement in 1990 that includes ensuring a better habitat for the Sumatran rhinos.
Since then, seven rhinos have been captured, and four were sent to the United States to be bred in captivity, while three were sent to a zoological garden in Bogor, West Java.