Malaysia: Sabah under pressure to save endangered Sumatran rhinos

Ruben Sario The Star 13 Jan 14;

KOTA KINABALU: Conservationists in Sabah are feeling more pressure to save the remaining endangered Sumatran rhinos following the death of one of the creatures in captivity, here.

Gelugob, one of only 10 Sumatran rhinoceros in captivity worldwide, died on Jan 11 at the Lok Kawi Wildlife Park.

Sabah Wildlife Department veterinarian Dr Rosa Sipangkui said Gelugob’s age was about 37 years. There were probably less that 150 Sumatran rhinos left in the wild today, in Sumatra and Borneo, he said.

Sipangkui said Gelugob’s health had deteriorated rapidly since early January and it had refused to drink and ate little.

Department director Datuk Laurentius Ambu said conservationists were now even more determined to save rhinos from extinction.

“Sabah now seems to be the only state in Malaysia that has wild rhinos,” he said.

“Rhino numbers are too low and the wild rhinos too fragmented. If we do not intervene and rescue all of them and consolidate them into a managed breeding programme, propagation of new generations of baby rhinos will be impossible,” Laurentius added.

He said if this managed breeding programme was not done, then all the remaining rhinos would meet the same fate as Gelugob; growing old and dying without producing any more young rhinos, resulting in the extinction of this species in Sabah.

Department assistant director Dr Sen Nathan said Gelugob was believed to be the oldest rhino in captivity prior to her death.

The last Sumatran rhino to die in captivity was a 33-year-old male in Cincinnati Zoo in the United States.

He said Gelugob was rescued from Bulud Napa, Kinabatangan in 1994.

“Gelugob was immediately included into our Sumatran rhino captive programme, which was then located in Sepilok near Sandakan,” Sen said.

“For the following 19 years, local and foreign experts from around the world tried to breed and study her reproductive behaviour extensively until 2011, when she was found to be unable to produce eggs, even with hormone treatment, due to her old age,” Sen added.

On March 24 last year, Gelugob was brought to the Lok Kawi Wildlife Park from the Tabin Wildlife Reserve as an ambassador for Sumatran rhino conservation efforts.

Bigger drive to save Sumatran rhinos
Ruben Sario The Star 14 Jan 14;

KOTA KINABALU: The pressure to save the remaining endangered Sumatran rhinos has grown more intense following the death of Gelugob – one of only 10 Sumatran rhinoceros in captivity worldwide.

Gelugob died on Saturday at the Lok Kawi Wildlife Park here.

Sabah Wildlife Department veterinarian Dr Rosa Sipangkui said Gelugob’s age was estimated at 37 years. There are probably less than 150 Sumatran rhinos left in the wild today in Sumatra and Borneo.

Sipangkui said Gelugob’s health had deteriorated rapidly from early this month and the animal had refused to drink and ate little.

Department director Datuk Laurentius Ambu said conservationists were now even more determined to save rhinos from extinction.

“Sabah now seems to be the only state in Malaysia that has wild rhinos,” he said.

“Rhino numbers are too low and the wild rhinos too fragmented.

“If we do not intervene and rescue all of them and consolidate them into a managed breeding programme, propagation of new generations of baby rhinos will be impossible,” Laurentius said.

He said that without the managed breeding programme, all the remaining rhinos would meet the same fate as Gelugob, growing old and dying without producing any more young rhinos, thus causing extinction of this species in Sabah.

Department assistant director Dr Sen Nathan said Gelugob was believed to be the oldest rhino in captivity prior to her death.

The last Sumatran rhino to die in captivity was a 33-year-old male in the Cincinnati Zoo in the United States.

He said Gelugob was rescued from Bulud Napa, Kinabatangan in 1994 and her age at the time of capture was estimated at around 16 to 17 years.

Gelugob was immediately included into the Sumatran rhino captive programme, which was then located in Sepilok near Sandakan, he said.

For the following 19 years, local and foreign experts from around the world tried to breed and study her reproductive behaviour extensively, until 2011 when she was found to be unable to produce eggs, even with hormone treatment, due to her old age, Sen added.

Gelugob was brought to the Lok Kawi Wildlife Park from the Tabin Wildlife Reserve on March 24 last year as an ambassador for Sumatran rhino conservation efforts.

Captive Sumatran rhino dies of old age
New Straits Times 14 Jan 14;

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah lost one of its natural treasures when Gelugob, one of only 10 Sumatran rhinoceroses in captivity worldwide, died at the Lok Kawi Wildlife Park on Saturday due to old age.

The female rhino, estimated to be about 37 years old, had been in captivity since 1994, the Sabah Wildlife Department said in a statement.

According to park veterinarian Dr Rosa Sipangkui, Gelugob "appeared to be moving slower and was not eating as well as she used to."

"Since these symptoms are quite normal in aging animals, it was noted and her condition was monitored. In early January, her condition worsened; she refused to drink and ate very little.
"Despite the best efforts of our veterinary team, her condition continued to deteriorate and on the evening of Jan 11, she laid down and died shortly after."

There are probably fewer than 150 Sumatran rhinos left in the wilds of Sumatra and Borneo today.

The department's assistant director, Dr Sen Nathan, said the lifespan of a Sumatran rhino was unknown.

The last Sumatran rhino to die in captivity was a 33-year-old male at the Cincinnati Zoo in the United States.

"We rescued Gelugob from Bulud Napa, Kinabatangan in 1994. Gelugob was immediately included in our Sumatran rhino programme, that was then located in Sepilok, near Sandakan.

"For the next 19 years, local and foreign experts from around the world tried to breed and study her reproductive behaviour extensively, up to 2011, when she was found to be unable to produce eggs, even with hormone treatments, due to her old age."

Gelugob was transferred to Lok Kawi on March 24 last year from the Tabin Wildlife Reserve.
"Though the death of Gelugob is a great loss, this only furthers our determination to do whatever we can to save this species from extinction. Sabah now seems to be the only state in Malaysia that has wild rhinos.

"Rhino numbers are too low and the wild rhinos too dispersed. If we do not intervene and rescue all of them and consolidate them into a managed breeding programme, propagation of new generations of rhinos will be impossible," said department director Datuk Dr Laurentius Ambu.
He said that if conservation and breeding efforts were not carried out, all the remaining rhinos would meet the same fate as Gelugob -- growing old and dying without producing any more young rhinos, leading to their disappearance from Sabah.