Sumatran Rhino Becomes Extinct in the Wild of Malaysia: Fewer Than 100 Remain

The Sumatran rhino has finally become extinct in the wild in Malaysia. Now, researchers are working on preserving the 100 or fewer remaining individuals in Indonesia and the nine rhinos currently in captivity.

Despite intense survey efforts, there has been no sign of the wild Sumatran rhino in Malaysia since 2007, apart from two females that were captured for breeding purposes in 2011 and 2014. This means that, most likely, the rhino is extinct in the wild in Malaysia.

"It is vital for the survival of the species that all remaining Sumatran rhinos are viewed as a metapopulation, meaning that all are managed in a single program across national and international borders in order to maximize overall birth rate,' said Rasmus Gren Havmoller, one of the researchers, in a news release. "This includes the individuals currently held in captivity."

Intensive management zones may be able to help with this goal. Areas with increased protection against poaching, where individual rhinos can be related to, could increase the number of potential and suitable mating partners.

Although the rhino once ranged across most of Southeast Asia, it is now only found in the wild in Indonesia. That's where fewer than 100 individuals in total are estimated to live in three separate populations, one of which has seen a critical decline in distribution range of 70 percent over the last decade. This trend echoes how the Sumatran rhino population dropped from around 500 to extinction between 1980 and 2005 in Sumatra's largest protected area, the enormous Kerinci Sebelat National Park.

"Serious effort by the government of Indonesia should be put to strengthen rhino protection by creating Intensive Protection Zone (IPQ), intensive survey of the current known habits, habitat management, captive breeding, and mobilizing national resources and support from related local governments and other stakeholders," said Christy Williams, co-author of the new study, in a news release.

The findings are published in the journal Oryx.

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