Sumatran rhinoceros: Indonesia can help save species

Olivia Miwil New Straits Times 29 May 19;

KOTA KINABALU: Hopes for the survival of the Sumatran rhinoceros lie in the cooperation between Malaysia and Indonesia for a breeding programme.

Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Christina Liew said the Sabah government still had one remaining female Sumatran rhinoceros, Iman, which is being kept at Borneo Rhino Sanctuary in Tabin here.

Liew, who is also state tourism, culture and environment minister, said the 25-year-old rhino was found to have massive uterine fibroids when it was captured in 2014.

“Despite the tumours in its uterus, Iman is still producing eggs which can be harvested.

“Experts from the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Germany will assist in the egg harvesting which can be fertilised in the laboratory through in vitro fertilisation (IVF) with sperm from the Indonesian male rhino.

“The embryo produced from this process can then be implanted to a surrogate Indonesian female rhinoceros,” Liew said.

She said the offspring would be kept at the Way Kambas Rhino Sanctuary, Lampung in Sumatra through shared ownership.

“This, of course, can only happen if the Indonesian government agrees,” she said, adding that Sabah planned to resume discussions with Indonesia on the matter.

Meanwhile, autopsy report had ascertained that the last male Sumatran rhinoceros, Kertam, had died on Monday following cardiopulmonary failure.

Liew added that veterinarian Dr Zainal Zahari Zainuddin and his team conducted a post-mortem on Kertam, or Tam, right after he died yesterday.

“The most visible problem
was his right kidney, which contained numerous abscesses and stones.

“The abscesses were likely caused by a urinary tract infection, which was treated with intravenous antibiotics,” she said.

The report also indicated that the kidney was compromised with severe calculi, which led to the presence of blood in the urine and affected all other organs and blood production. Other findings also include major blood vessels rupture inside the abdomen.

Tam, which was in his 30s, had been sick since April, and had showed a decline in appetite and alertness. He had been given medication since the beginning of this month.

Among them were anti-inflammatories, intravenous infusion of vitamins and minerals, stomach acid reduction medication and tranquilisers.

Liew also said Tam’s tissues had been collected for further examinations and it would take time to get more conclusive results.

In 2017, another female rhinoceros Puntung was euthanised because she was suffering from an incurable cancer.

Wildlife photographer hopes for survival of Sumatran rhinos
Olivia Miwil New Straits Times 29 May 19;

KOTA KINABALU: A wildlife photographer who had the privilege of spending time with Kertam the Sumatran rhinoceros is hoping the species could be saved after the last male rhino died on Monday.

Charles Ryan said the death of Kertam, or Tam, due to multiple organ failures is a wake-up call for the species.

He added that the species has a last chance to survive, with the need for the last female rhino Iman to be involved in a breeding programme.

“It makes me sad that this is yet another step towards the extinction of the Sumatran rhino. I fear that it is too late for the species to survive.

“People need to wake up and see that we are going through a mass extinction because of what we as humans are doing to this planet,” he told the New Straits Times.

Charles, who has been leading trips for National Geographic since 2014 until now, said it was a special moment to be with Tam when it was alive.

For the past four years, he had been to Borneo Rhino Sanctuary in Tabin between five and six times a year.

“I had spent time while they (Tam’s caretakers) were feeding and bathing him, sat out and watched him in the wallow in the new rhino facility.

“People were always thrilled to see such a charismatic species, and it was always special to see something that was so rare,” Charles added.

He also said that he has a high regard for Sabah-based non-governmental organisation Borneo Rhino Alliance's executive director Datuk Dr John Payne and senior veterinarian Dr Zainal Zainuddin, as well as the team who have been working relentlessly for years to save the Sumatran rhino.

On Tuesday, Sabah Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Christina Liew had said that the hope for the survival of the species lies in the cooperation between Malaysia and Indonesia for a breeding programme.

Liew, who is also the state Tourism, Culture and Environment minister said if the Indonesian government agrees to it, experts will assist in the egg harvesting from Iman can be fertilised in the laboratory through in vitro fertilisation with sperm from the Indonesian male rhino.

Expert: Work with Indonesia to revive rhino population
The Star 29 May 19;

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah must continue to seek the help of Indonesia if it is to revive the population of the near-extinct Sumatran rhino following the death of its last male, Tam, said scientist Dr Benoit Goossens.

Goossens, the Danau Girang Field Centre director, said it was too late for Sabah to work on its own.

“Sabah has to make the most of the samples (sperms and eggs) collected from previous rhinos which have died, including Tam, Pun­tung and Gologob, as well as those from Iman, the sole surviving female rhino,” he said.

Tam, believed to be in his mid-30s, succumbed to kidney and liver failure at the Borneo Rhino Sanctuary in Tabin Wildlife Reserve, Lahad Datu on Monday.

“This cannot work unless advanced reproductive technology like artificial insemination and in-vitro reproduction are successful in Indonesia, and the babies produced in Sumatra and translocated to safe forests in Sabah,” he added.

Goossens said those involved would then have to make sure that a sufficient number of rhinos were in the forest so that they could reproduce naturally.

He said in return, Sabah must convince the Indonesian government that the collaboration would benefit both Sabah and Indonesia.

The state government, he added, must also fully commit to protecting as many contiguous forests as possible in Sabah to make sure that no other large mammal goes through the same fate.


After Tam's death, Sabah hopes to ink deal with Indonesia on rhino breeding programme
natasha joibi The Star 27 May 19;

KOTA KINABALU: Following the death of Malaysia's last male Sumatran rhino, the Sabah government is hoping to officially seal an agreement with Indonesia on a proposed breeding programme involving the country's only surviving female rhino.

Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Christina Liew said that offspring of the sole surviving female Sumatran rhino named Iman will be shared ownership with Indonesia.

"It will remain there at the Way Kambas Rhino Sanctuary in Lampung, Sumatra.

"This, of course, can only happen if the Indonesian government agrees officially," she said, adding that Sabah plans to resume discussions with Indonesia on the matter.
image: https://video.unrulymedia.com/native/images/in-art-close-icon-128x128-16481b937f87b244a645cdbef0d930f8.png

"When it was captured in 2014, it was found to have massive uterine fibroids. Despite the tumours in its uterus, Iman is still producing eggs which can be harvested.

"Experts from the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Germany, will assist in egg harvesting.

"The egg can be fertilised in the laboratory through in vitro fertilisation (IVF) with sperm from an Indonesian male rhino.

"The embryo that can be produced from this process can then be implanted to a surrogate Indonesian female mother rhino," she said.

On the death of the Sumatran male Tam, short for Kertam, Liew said he was about 35 years old and considered quite old for a rhino.

"Tam's caretakers and Dr Zainal were with the rhino when he died.

"After his capture, he was brought to the Borneo Rhino Sanctuary in Tabin.

"He was healthy all this while. He fell sick in April this year. His health deteriorated in May," said Liew on Monday (May 27).

Tam died on Monday afternoon. It had been suffering from kidney and liver damage for quite some time.