Malaysia: Captured rhino boost for breeding plan

New Straits Times 22 Aug 13;

KOTA KINABALU: Efforts to increase the Sumatran rhinoceros population in Sabah is on with the capture of a wild female rhino.

Earlier this year, the state government approved the target capture of a female rhino in Danum Valley for breeding purposes.

"We think that there are no more than 10 Sumatran Rhinos left in Sabah," said state Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun.

Although some had claimed there were about 30 rhinos, Masidi said evidence collected via camera trap and other methods showed that the number was tiny.

"It is probably safer to assume there are no more than 10 in Sabah now. Of the total, three are in captivity, including Tam, a male, and Puntung, a female, in Tabin Wildlife Reserve.

"These two have been together for more than two years for the purpose of captive breeding but there is no indication that they are even interested in mating," Masidi said after a meeting with the Sabah Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan), Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) and WWF-Malaysia here, yesterday. The capturing of a female rhino was a long-term aim to reestablish a fully wild rhino population in the state.

The female rhino will be placed in an enclosure in Danum so that she can mate with the male rhino in captivity.

"We have given ourselves until July next year to see some results," said Masidi, adding the government was considering working with the Cincinnati Zoo in United States for the rhino breeding if the initial effort failed.

In the process, he said Tam's sperm would be sent to the zoo to be artificially inseminated into its Sumatran Rhino with the hope that it would be successful.

Sabah Perhilitan director Datuk Dr Laurentius Ambu said governmental and non-governmental professionals in Sabah say there was an urgent need to get as many rhinos into fenced and managed conditions as soon as possible.

"This is so that every rhino can be closely monitored and treated as necessary, to get them producing embryos."