Camera traps have successfully taken photos of 35 Javan rhinos (Rhinoceros sondaicus) in Ujung Kulon National Park. The small population, with an estimated 45 or so individuals, is the species' last stand against extinction. Late last year, a subspecies of the Javan rhino, the Vietnamese rhino (Rhinoceros sondaicus annamiticus), was declared extinct.
The photos provided good news in that five of the rhinos photographer were calves, proving the rhinos were still reproducing effectively. However the photos also highlighted concerns: nearly 60 percent of the rhinos were males, meaning there is likely a sexual imbalance in the tiny population that could prove troublesome. Scientists are concerned that a lack of females could lead to fights between male rivals. In addition, four of the five calves were male.
Given a total population that certainly doesn't exceed 60 individuals and is likely less, Javan rhinos are, not surprisingly, listed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN Red List. They are imperiled by poaching for their horns and habitat destruction, but perhaps even more dangerous in their case is that all the animals survive in one park, meaning a single natural disaster or disease could wipe them out. No Javan rhinos survive in captivity.
Indonesia has set a goal of increasingly the Javan rhino population to 70-80 individuals by 2015. They are setting up a 38,000 hectare rhino breeding sanctuary inside the park to help facilitate breeding among the species. The sanctuary will cover over 30 percent of Ujung Kulon National Park.
Read more:http://news.mongabay.com/2012/0104-hance_javanrhinos.html#ixzz1isb4HSKw
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