International Rhino Foundation Programs in Asia
The International Rhino Foundation concentrates its Asian Programs on the Sumatran rhino and Javan rhino. IRF also assists conservationr efforts for greater one-horned rhino and is working with other organizations on a major program to protect this species in the wild. IRF programs emphasize protection in the wild and propagation in captivity or semi-captivity.No more than about 175 Sumatran rhinos remain on Indonesia’s Sumatra island, where the population has declined at a rate of 50% over the past 15 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 one poaching events have been recorded in the past 5 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 just under 50 animals. IRF 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 an appropriate, secure area elsewhere in Indonesia.
The population of greater one-horned, or Indian, rhinos decreased to about 20 individuals at the turn of the 20th century, but with strict protection by Indian and Nepalese wildlife authorities, there are now more than 2,800 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. The first translocations under the program took place in April 2008 from Pabitora Wildlife Sanctuary to Manas National Park, and the next moves are planned for late 2010. Some animals will be translocated from Pabitora and other from Kaziranga National Park, where breeding has been remarkably successful. In Manas, strong anti-poaching measures have been 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.
