IRF Programs in Asia
IRF has from its inception concentrated its Asian Programs on the Sumatran Rhino, probably the most endangered of all rhino species. More recently, IRF has extended its programs to the Javan Rhino. IRF has also selectively assists conservation efforts for Indian Rhino and is working with other organizations on a major program that could provide long-term financial support to protect this species in the wild. IRF programs reflect the dual and diversified strategy of protection in the wild and propagation in captivity or semi-captivity.About 250 Sumatran rhinos remain on Indonesia’s Sumatra island, where the population has declined at a rate of 50% over the past 10 years, largely from deforestation and habitat fragmentation. IRF focuses its work in heavily encroached areas near Way Kambas and Bukit Barisan Selatan National Parks. Only four poaching events have been recorded in the past 3 years because of the remarkable work and dedication of the Rhino Protection Units providing active security throughout their range. In the coming years, we plan to maintain intensive protection efforts while also seeking to reduce the threat to rhinos by increasing local awareness and support for rhino conservation.
The most critically endangered of all rhino species, Indonesia’s Javan rhinos live only in Ujung Kulon National Park , exposing them to significant risk of extinction. Thanks to IRF-funded protection measures, there has not been a single rhino poaching incident in the park in the past 5 years, and the population has stabilized at around 50 animals. IRF recently helped the Indonesian government develop a strategy for ensuring the continued survival of Javan rhinos – our top priorities for the future are to increase the population in Ujung Kulon to 70 animals (the park’s carrying capacity) and to then translocate several animals to begin establishing a second population in a secure area.
The population of greater one-horned, or Indian, rhinos decreased to about 200 individuals at the turn of the 20th century, but with strict protection by Indian and Nepalese wildlife authorities, there are now more than 2,619 rhinos in 13 groups distributed between Assam (in northern India) and Nepal. Unfortunately, however, more that 85% of these rhinos inhabit one protected area, exposing the population to the risk that a single catastrophe could lead to serious population decline again. As part of Indian Rhino Vision 2020, IRF and partners are working to increase the population of Indian rhinos to 3,000 by the year 2020 and to translocate animals in order spread the population out more evenly over multiple national parks. Several new areas are now being readied to receive overflow from Kaziranga National Park, where breeding has been remarkably successful, and strong anti-poaching measures are being put into place to ensure the new populations thrive.
The Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary (SRS), a 250-acre complex located within Way Kambas National Park in Sumatra, Indonesia, is currently home to five rhinos that are part of an intensively managed research and breeding program aimed at increasing the Sumatran rhino population in the wild. At the sanctuary, the rhinos reside in large, open areas where they can experience a natural rain forest habitat while still receiving state-of-the-art veterinary care and nutrition. With the recent addition of Andalas (the first Sumatran rhino born in captivity in more than 112 years!) to the SRS’s population of one male and three female Sumatran rhinos, the SRS is well-poised to breed rhinos in the coming years, and to contribute in a major way to our understanding of the basic biology of the species.
