Programme in Sabah could save endangered species from extinction
Nirmal Ghosh Straits Times 17 Jan 12;
LAHAD DATU (Sabah): The instant it left its enclosure through the open gate, Tam's demeanour changed. No longer a bumbling beast, it instantly became alert as it headed up a well-worn trail, its ears swivelling to catch the sounds of the jungle in Tabin Wildlife Reserve.
Treading sure-footedly through inches of mud as Bornean gibbons whooped unseen above in the jungle canopy, Tam melted into the dense undergrowth of its 2.5ha jungle patch protected by an electric fence. It would spend the hot afternoon covered in mud, cooling off in a wallow deep in the forest.
Tam, a male Sumatran rhino in its prime that was captured in 2008 after it wandered into an oil palm plantation, is one of the last of a species that faces imminent total extinction - and is also one of the few hopes of a breeding project aimed at preventing this from happening.
Sumatran rhinos once roamed across the tropical jungles of South-east Asia, but were decimated by the destruction of their habitat and relentless hunting for their horns. These are prized in China for their alleged medical properties, even though they are just keratin, the substance that makes up hair and nails.
It is not just the twilight of Tam's species; it's more like a quarter to midnight. There are fewer than 275 Sumatran rhinos left in the wild in Malaysia and Indonesia, and a mere handful in zoos. They have been classified as critically endangered, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
The fate of a species on the brink of extinction is a lonely one. Most of the rhinos are old and past breeding age. The few that are of breeding age are mostly so widely dispersed that they may not ever meet another rhino. And even if they do, breeding is not assured.
Captive breeding efforts may be the last hope for Tam's species. One such effort is being taken at this 1,200 sq km reserve in Sabah, where a few rhinos still survive in the wild. Much of the hope rests on Tam, about 20 years old, and on Puntung, a young female of about 12 years that was captured last month and placed in the centre.
With the sole of its left forefoot torn off, probably by a snare, Puntung stands on three legs, and when it has to move forward, it lurches and hobbles.
Its distinctive hoof prints had made it easier to monitor Puntung in the jungle. When it was clear that it had not met up with any other rhino for three years, the decision was made to capture Puntung for the breeding project. The young rhino took the change well, and has gained 7kg since its arrival on Christmas Day; it now weighs close to 500kg.
The Sabah government started its captive breeding programme in 1983 - a controversial move for rare species because of the fear that captured animals will die.
Partly because of the controversy, the project has not had any success so far.
A single female rhino called Gelogob, captured in 1994, was never introduced to a male and its fertile years were wasted. Today, old and blind, Gelogob lives out its life in relative comfort at the project's site in Tabin.
But rhino conservationist John Payne defends the use of captive breeding for the rhino. 'There is a sufficient body of opinion now that the only way to save the species is to bring them into captivity.'
Dr Payne has spent over 30 years in Sabah, and is executive director of the Borneo Rhino Alliance (Bora), a non-governmental organisation that is running the current breeding project at Tabin.
The programme was lucky enough to find Tam and Puntung; the next step is to get them to mate. Bora is waiting for Puntung to settle down and relax, and its eventual meeting with Tam must be carefully timed and managed. Breeding is not easy; Tam is fertile, but a sample shows its sperm is not of good quality.
Researchers are also exploring 'assisted' reproduction. IZW, a zoo and wildlife institute in Berlin, Germany, that is involved in cutting-edge research in the artificial breeding of wild species, is providing technical help. Artificial insemination and in-vitro fertilisation are on the cards.
The rhino project at Tabin was boosted in 2009 by a foundation set up by the Sime Darby group, Yayasan Sime Darby (YSD), which gave it RM5 million (S$2 million) from 2009 to 2012, and may pledge more. Despite controversy over its vast oil palm interests here and abroad, the Malaysian conglomerate's aid is seen by some as an example of how corporations can effectively support wildlife.
'This programme would have shut down without funding from YSD,' said Dr Abdul Hamid Ahmad, chairman of the board of Bora.
There have been suggestions that the Sumatran rhino has reached the end of its evolutionary road. But, conservationists like Dr Payne point out that if it had not been for humans, it would not be in such a dire situation in the first place - so it is up to humans to try and save it.
'The basic argument is ethical: we can choose to do nothing, or we can do something,' he said.
Other endangered species in Asia
Asian elephant
There are between 34,000 and 54,000 Asian elephants left in the wild. Since the Asian elephant requires large forested areas for its habitat, deforestation has become the main threat to its survival.
With more than 20 per cent of the world's human population living in, or near, Asian elephant habitat, reduction and fragmentation of the animal's forest habitat has caused its population to decline.
Bengal tiger
The Eastern Himalayas is home to the world's largest Bengal tiger population. However, a growing human population is pushing the tiger out of its natural habitat and causing increasing human-tiger conflicts.
The tiger also faces a serious threat from poachers. Although accurate figures are not available throughout its range, current estimates show there are only 3,000 to 4,500 Bengal tigers surviving in the wild.
Snow leopard
This roving, high-altitude cat was once heavily hunted for its pelt, which sold for high prices on the fur market. Also, its bones and other body parts are valued in traditional Asian medicine. Loss of habitat, poaching and competition with humans for prey also threaten the species. Because it is so elusive, accurate population numbers are hard to come by, although estimates range from 100 to 200.
Proboscis monkey
Found in the coastal mangrove, swamps, and riverine forests of Borneo in South-east Asia, which contain trees, dry land, shallow water (for wading) and deep water (for swimming). The main threat to this species is habitat loss, due to land clearing for plantations and logging. It is also hunted, even though it is legally protected. There are an estimated 7,000 left in Borneo.
SOURCE: WWF, EARTH'S ENDANGERED
