An image of a second wild Borneo rhino has been captured by scientists in Malaysia using a motion-triggered camera.
Only 25-50 Borneo rhinos, a subspecies of the critically endangered Sumatran rhino, are thought to exist. They are found in the interior Heart of Borneo forests of Sabah, Malaysia.
It was just two years ago that the first-ever still photo of a Borneo rhino was captured by WWF, who last year also produced a video using a camera trap showing a male rhino eating, walking to the camera and sniffing the equipment.
After comparing the body structure and size of the animal in the latest photo WWF-Malaysia have confirmed that this is a different rhino to the one previously photographed. The new photograph suggests a young female rhino.
Rhino monitoring and protection efforts are aimed at conserving and boosting the number of Sumatran rhinos in Sabah through prevention of poaching, securing habitat from further degradation and illegal encroachment.
“This encourages the rhinos to meet in a natural way,” said Laurentius Ambu, director of Sabah Wildlife Department. He added that experts are beginning to believe there is still hope to save the Borneo Sumatran Rhino from extinction.
Last month WWF officials, along with a team of rangers, veterinarians and experts from Sabah Wildlife Department rescued the Borneo rhino that was captured on video last year. It had been found injured and wandering in an oil palm plantation. The rescue operation, financially supported by Honda, took nearly two weeks and the animal was then transferred to a reserve.
