Short Communication Will Current Conservation Responses Save the Critically Endangered Sumatran Rhinoceros Dicerorhinus Sumatrensis?

Home , Dicerorhinus, Sumatran rhinoceros

Short Communication Will current conservation responses save the Critically Endangered Sumatran rhinoceros Dicerorhinus sumatrensis?

R ASMUS G REN H AVMØLLER,JUNAIDI P AYNE,WIDODO R AMONO,SUSIE E LLIS K. YOGANAND,BARNEY L ONG,ERIC D INERSTEIN,A.CHRISTY W ILLIAMS R UDI H. PUTRA,JAMAL G AWI,BIBHAB K UMAR T ALUKDAR and N EIL B URGESS

Abstract The Critically Endangered Sumatran rhinoceros until . Since then only two pairs have been actively bred Dicerorhinus sumatrensis formerly ranged across South- in captivity, resulting in four births, three by the same pair at east Asia. Hunting and habitat loss have made it one of the Cincinnati Zoo and one at the Sumatran Rhino the rarest large mammals and the species faces extinction Sanctuary in Sumatra, with the sex ratio skewed towards despite decades of conservation efforts. The number of in- males. To avoid extinction it will be necessary to implement dividuals remaining is unknown as a consequence of inad- intensive management zones, manage the metapopulation equate methods and lack of funds for the intensive field as a single unit, and develop advanced reproductive techni- work required to estimate the population size of this rare ques as a matter of urgency. Intensive census efforts are on- and solitary species. However, all information indicates going in Bukit Barisan Selatan but elsewhere similar efforts that numbers are low and declining. A few individuals per- remain at the planning stage. sist in Borneo, and three tiny populations remain on the Keywords Conservation planning, Critically Endangered, Indonesian island of Sumatra and show evidence of breed- extinction, advanced reproductive technology, intensive ing. Rhino Protection Units are deployed at all known management zones, metapopulation management, breeding sites but poaching and a presumed low breeding Sumatran rhino, South-east Asia rate remain major threats. Protected areas have been created for the rhinoceros and other in situ conservation efforts have increased but the species has continued to go locally he Sumatran rhinoceros Dicerorhinus sumatrensis is extinct across its range. Conventional captive breeding has Tcategorized as Critically Endangered on the IUCN also proven difficult; from a total of  Sumatran rhinoceros Red List (van Strien et al., ). It has been extirpated taken from the wild since  there were no captive births from . % of its former range, is threatened by poaching for its horn and has proven difficult to breed in captivity (Dinerstein, ). Poaching of rhinoceroses has soared in RASMUS GREN HAVMØLLER Natural History Museum of Denmark, Centre for recent years (Emslie, ) and was the primary cause of Macroecology, Evolution & Climate, Copenhagen, Denmark extinction of the western black rhinoceros Diceros bicornis JUNAIDI PAYNE Borneo Rhino Alliance (BORA), Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia longipes and wild northern white rhinoceros Ceratotherium WIDODO RAMONO Yayasan Badak Indonesia, Bogor, Java, Indonesia simum cottoni in Africa (Emslie, a, b), and the Javan rhi- SUSIE ELLIS International Rhino Foundation, Strasburg, Virginia, USA noceros Rhinoceros sondaicus annamiticus in mainland

K. YOGANAND WWF–Malaysia, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia South-east Asia (Brook et al., ). It has also been a causal

BARNEY LONG and ERIC DINERSTEIN WWF, Washington, DC, USA factor in the decline of the Sumatran rhinoceros, which has

A. CHRISTY WILLIAMS WWF–International, Gland, Switzerland also been affected by habitat loss and isolation (Ahmad et al., ). Here we outline the population status of the RUDI H. PUTRA* Leuser Conservation Forum, Banda Aceh, Aceh, Indonesia Sumatran rhinoceros, summarize the threats to its survival JAMAL GAWI Leuser International Foundation, Banda Aceh, Aceh, Indonesia and highlight the main components and progress of the † BIBHAB KUMAR TALUKDAR IUCN Species Survival Commission Asian Rhino emergency plan developed during the April  Specialist Group, Guwahati, Assam, India Sumatran Rhino Crisis Summit in Singapore and later NEIL BURGESS‡ United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre, Cambridge, UK agreed upon in the Bandar Lampung Declaration in  *Also at: Tropical Biodiversity Conservation, Bogor Agricultural University, October . Bogor, Indonesia Reliable population estimates for Sumatran rhinoceros †Also at: International Rhino Foundation, Strasburg, Virginia, USA ‡ have always been difficult to obtain. After years of suspected Also at: Natural History Museum of Denmark, Centre for Macroecology,  Evolution & Climate, Copenhagen, Denmark decline, the population was assessed in to comprise –  Received  January . Revision requested  February . individuals (Zafir et al., ). We provide an up- Accepted  March . First published online  August . dated estimate (Fig. ) but it should be noted that robust

FIG. 1 Historical and present distribution of the Sumatran rhinoceros Dicerorhinus sumatrensis in South-east Asia. The historical distribution is derived from range maps in Foose & van Strien (), and the current distribution from IUCN ().

population data are lacking in most areas and these numbers were not optimized for surveys of Sumatran rhinoceros. represent best estimates. Based on patrol data, the distribution of rhinoceros signs had In Indonesia the population in Way Kambas National decreased by % during – (Talukdar et al., ).  Park was estimated to be c.  individuals in  To date only c. %ofthe, km Leuser Ecosystem has (Talukdar et al., ), indicating a strong recovery after been surveyed for Sumatran rhinoceros, and a minimum of   being declared extinct in the Park in  but rediscovered individuals were confirmed in a  km area in  (Leuser in the s (Reilly et al., ). Immediately after the International Foundation, ). The species has also been – El Niño drought a study using camera-trapping recorded in other parts of the Leuser Ecosystem, including ob- data (P. Wells, unpubl. data) estimated there were – in- servation of a mother and calf in  (Leuser Ecosystem dividuals remaining in the Park, a decline of % of the Management Authority, unpubl. data). Camera-trap footage population estimated to have been present in . If these of a Sumatran rhinoceros was obtained from East Kalimantan, estimates are accurate, the implication is that the population Indonesian Borneo (WWF–Indonesia, ), but the evidence may have doubled between  and . suggests the population consists of very few individuals. In Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park a study conducted The most recent record of a Sumatran rhinoceros in during – estimated there were  ± . rhinoceroses Peninsular Malaysia was in  (Magintan et al., ) in the Park (Pusparini & Wibisono, )butthemethods and there is no evidence to support previous population

http://journals.cambridge.org Downloaded: 20 Apr 2016 IP address: 130.226.229.16 Sumatran rhinoceros 357 estimates of – individuals (Zafir et al., ; Talukdar breeding events become rare. These problems have implica- et al., ; WWF–Malaysia, ). Tabin Wildlife Reserve tions for natural breeding efforts in captivity and in situ, in- in Sabah, Malaysia, was believed to contain as many as  cluding the effectiveness of efforts within the proposed rhinoceroses in the s but records of fresh footprints de- intensive management zones. We recommend that all fe- clined thereafter. Since  there have been no definite males in these zones not known to be breeding are checked signs of the presence of wild rhinoceroses in the Reserve for reproductive pathology before a decision on their utiliza- other than those of a female that was captured in . tion in recovery efforts is made. This was despite an effort by Borneo Rhino Alliance of One of the key actions identified at the Sumatran Rhino  , trap-days at  trap stations covering .  km in Crisis Summit and in the Bandar Lampung Declaration is a  a . × . km grid during July –July , overlapping unifying global strategy to manage the global population the entire area where footprints had been recorded during (both wild and captive) as a single metapopulation across –. national and international borders. The best example of suc- In Danum Valley WWF–Malaysia conducted camera-trap cess of a single metapopulation strategy is that of the greater surveys within a  ×  km grid from October .ByMarch one-horned rhinoceros Rhinoceros unicornis in Nepal and , after surveying  grids over , trap-days, only one India (Talukdar, ; Martin et al., ). This manage- rhinoceros had been photographed, which was subsequently ment strategy has yet to be implemented for the Sumatran caught in March .Thisispresumedtohavebeenthelast rhinoceros. The national government of Malaysia and state individual in Danum Valley and the Sumatran rhinoceros government of Sabah are ready to collaborate in this way. may now be extinct in Malaysia, echoing the concern raised The second agreed action is the continued deployment of by Rabinowitz (). As of June  no further signs of the Rhino Protection Units at sites with remaining breeding po- species have been found in Sabah, and it is safe to consider the pulations. This has been achieved in all breeding areas but species extinct in the wild in Malaysia. requires strengthening, especially in northern Sumatra. Currently the two main threats to the Sumatran rhinoceros The third proposed action is the creation of intensive man- are poaching and low densities (leading to a likely negative agement zones, with increased protection and monitoring in population growth rate). With the high demand for rhi- areas where the Sumatran rhinoceros breeds naturally. It was noceros horns in black markets in Asia, poaching remains a also proposed that rhinoceroses outside intensive manage- significant threat. The last confirmed record of poaching in ment zones would be consolidated into these areas to achieve the Malaysian state of Sabah was of a young adult female the highest probability of population growth. Actions to with severe reproductive tract pathology, near the border implement this proposal are still in the planning stages. with East Kalimantan, in March  (Sen Nathan, pers. The fourth action of the conservation strategy is captive comm.; Talukdar et al., ). In Indonesia the Sumatran rhi- breeding. Only c. one-third of all individuals captured were noceros was extirpated by poaching in Kerinci Seblat National subjected to systematic breeding efforts, and some of those Park by  (Zafir et al., ); in Way Kambas National Park on only a few occasions. The development of advanced re- the last known rhinoceros poaching event was in  productive technology for captive breeding is being pursued (Talukdar et al., ). In Bukit Barisan Selatan National in Sabah, in collaboration with the Leibniz Institute for Zoo Park three individuals were poached during – but and Wildlife Research, Agro-biotechnology Institute there have been no recorded poaching events since then Malaysia, Universiti Putra Malaysia and others. After the (Talukdar et al., ; Arief Rubianto, pers. comm.). techniques for removing oocytes from females and produ- In Gunung Leuser National Park poaching was almost cing embryos in vitro have been ascertained it should be eliminated during the -year study of van Strien in the possible for every female in managed conditions to produce early s, however by the late s poaching was rife several progeny. This option may take many years to de- and as few as  individuals were thought to remain in  velop, however, and we may lose the species before it be- (Griffiths, ). No direct evidence of rhinoceros poaching comes a reliable technique. Exchange of gametes between has been detected recently, although signs of poaching of individuals in all captive facilities, where it provides a gen- other species are found regularly throughout the area. etic advantage, must be facilitated to boost potential success Female Sumatran rhinoceros with severe reproductive of the managed breeding programme (Goossens et al., ). pathology are well documented in Malaysia, with . % However, such a programme has yet to be agreed upon. of captured females being affected, including the two cur- In Indonesia the emphasis remains on natural breeding, rently held in captivity in Sabah. This condition results although preliminary attempts are being made to insemin- from a lack of pregnancy and eventually renders the female ate Sumatran rhinoceros artificially. Artificial insemination infertile. The frequency of the problem provides direct evi- has resulted in the births of five white rhinoceros calves in dence that females rarely mate and become pregnant European zoos and three greater one-horned rhinoceros (Schaffer et al., ). This phenomenon could also become calves (Terri Roth, pers. comm.), but has not yet yielded a problem in Indonesia when populations decline such that any results for the Sumatran rhinoceros.

In conclusion, with only three small wild populations of DINERSTEIN,E.() Hoofed mammals. In Mammals of the World: Sumatran rhinoceros, albeit with some records of breeding, Rhinocerotidae (Rhinoceroses) Volume  (eds D. Wilson & – and nine individuals in captivity (one in Cincinatti Zoo, R. Mittermeier), pp. . Lynx, New York, USA. EMSLIE,R.(a) Ceratotherium simum ssp. cottoni.InThe IUCN Red three in Sabah and five in the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary, List of Threatened Species v. .. Http://www.iucnredlist.org/ with three individuals being closely related), and no overall [accessed  October ]. indication of recovery of the wild populations, we can say EMSLIE,R.(b) Diceros bicornis ssp. longipes.In The IUCN Red List that despite great efforts the current conservation actions of Threatened Species v. .. Http://www.iucnredlist.org/ [accessed  January ]. for the Sumatran rhinoceros may not be adequate to prevent  – ’ EMSLIE,R.( ) African Rhinoceroses Latest Trends in Rhino the species extinction. In contrast, conservation efforts, par- Numbers and Poaching. CoP, Bangkok, Thailand. ticularly consolidation and protection of small populations, FOOSE, T.J. & VAN STRIEN, N. (eds) () Asian Rhinos: Status Survey have resulted in significant population increases for other rhi- and Conservation Action Plan. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland, and noceros species. Plans to save the Sumatran rhinoceros are in Cambridge, UK. place at the conceptual level and there is broad consensus and GOOSSENS, B., SALGADO-LYNN, M., ROVIE-RYAN, J.J., AHMAD, A.H., PAYNE, J., ZAINUDDIN, Z.Z. et al. () Genetics and the last stand commitment to work in partnership amongst the organiza- of the Sumatran rhinoceros Dicerorhinus sumatrensis. Oryx, , tions involved, but the pace of development and implemen- –. tation of such plans needs to be increased. Although a GRIFFITHS,M.() Rhino poaching in the Upper Mamas Valley of significant increase in funding for Sumatran rhinoceros Gunung Leuser National Park. In Indonesian Rhino Conservation –  conservation has become available since the Sumatran Workshop, Bogor October : Briefing Book (ed. T.J. Foose), pp. –. CBSG, SSC, IUCN, Bogor, Indonesia. Rhino Crisis Summit, most of this has focused on habitat pro- IUCN () IUCN Red List of Threatened Species v. .. Http:// tection. Thus, new funding streams for metapopulation man- www.iucnredlist.org [accessed  June ]. agement and conservation breeding, including expanding the LEUSER INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION () There is still hope for conservation breeding facilities and development of advanced the Sumatran rhino. Http://www.leuserfoundation.org/index.php? reproductive technology, need to be identified. Political option=com_content&view=article&id=:there-is-still-hope-   will is needed to make the bold decisions to facilitate imple- for-the-sumatran-rhino-&catid= :latest-news&Itemid= [accessed  January ]. mentation of these far-reaching conservation plans. A rapidly MAGINTAN,D.,RUFINO, M.B.M., COSMAS,N.&DENNIS, T.C.Y. implementable and fully integrated metapopulation manage- () Some evidence of Sumatran rhinoceros presence in ment model incorporating all the above strategies is critical if Temengor Forest Reserve, Perak. Journal of Wildlife and Parks the Sumatran rhinoceros is to survive. (–), , –. MARTIN, E., MARTIN,C.&VIGNE,L.() Successful reduction in rhino poaching in Nepal. Pachyderm, , –. PUSPARINI,W.&WIBISONO, H.T. () Landscape-level assessment Acknowledgements of the distribution of the Sumatran rhinoceros in Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park, Sumatra. Pachyderm, , –. We thank the participants of the  Sumatran Rhino RABINOWITZ,A.() Helping a species go extinct: the Sumatran Crisis Summit, hosted by Singapore Zoo and Wildlife rhino in Borneo. Conservation Biology, , –. Reserves Singapore, Asian Rhino Project, Borneo Rhino REILLY, J., SPEDDING, G.H. & APRIAWAN () Preliminary Alliance, Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, observation on the Sumatran rhino in Way Kambas National Park,  – Conservation Society Australia, Copenhagen Zoo, Sabah Indonesia. Oryx, , . SCHAFFER, N., AGIL,M.&BOSI,E.() Utero-ovarian pathological Wildlife Department, International Rhino Foundation, complex of the Sumatran rhinoceros (Dicrerorhinus sumatrensis). In Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, IUCN Recent Research Elephants and Rhinos (eds H. Schwammer et al.), Species Survival Commission, National Parks Indonesia, pp. –. Proceedings of the International Elephant and Rhino Sime Darby Foundation, SOS Rhino, Taman Safari Research Symposium, Vienna, Austria. Indonesia, Taronga Conservation Society Australia, White TALUKDAR, B.K. () Assam leads in conserving the greater one-  – Oak Conservation Center and WWF–Malaysia. We also horned rhinoceros into the new millennium. Pachyderm, , . – TALUKDAR, B.K., CROSBIE, K., ELLIS, S., RAMONO, W.S., WILLIAMS, thank Arnout van Soesbergen and Liz Farmer at UNEP A.C. and SECTIONOV () Report on the Meeting for Conservation WCMC, who created the map. of Sumatran and Javan Rhino in South East Asia. Asian Rhino Specialist Group, Guwahati, Assam, India. TALUKDAR, B.K., SECTIONOV and CAMPBELL,C.() Report on the References Meeting for Conservation of Sumatran and Javan Rhino in South East Asia. Asian Rhino Specialist Group, Guwahati, Assam, India. AHMAD, A.H., PAYNE,J.&ZAINUDDIN, Z.Z. () Preventing the VAN STRIEN, N.J., MANULLANG, B., SECTIONOV,ISNAN, W., KHAN, extinction of the Sumatran rhinoceros. Journal of Indonesian M.K.M., SUMARDJA, E. et al. () Dicerorhinus sumatrensis.In Natural History, , –. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species v. .. Http://www.   BROOK, S.M., DE GROOT, P.V., SCOTT, C., BOAG, P., LONG, B., LEY,R. iucnredlist.org/ [accessed May ]. E. et al. () Integrated and novel survey methods for rhinoceros WWF–INDONESIA () Sumatran rhino footprints found in Borneo. populations confirm the extinction of Rhinoceros sondaicus Http://wwf.panda.org/?/Found-Traces-of-Sumatran- annamiticus from Vietnam. Biological Conservation, , –. rhinos-in-the-Heart-of-Borneo [accessed  January ].

http://journals.cambridge.org Downloaded: 20 Apr 2016 IP address: 130.226.229.16 Sumatran rhinoceros 359

WWF–MALAYSIA () WWF–Malaysia Strategy –. R AMONO’s focus is on captive breeding and in situ conservation of WWF–Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia. Sumatran and Javan rhinoceroses. S USIE E LLIS focuses on the conserva- ZAFIR, A.W.A., PAYNE, J., MOHAMED, A., LAU, C.F., SHARMA, D.S.K., tion of all rhinoceros species. K . Y OGANAND leads terrestrial conserva- ALFRED, R. et al. () Now or never: what will it take to save the tion work for WWF–Malaysia in Sabah, Malaysia. B ARNEY L ONG Sumatran rhinoceros Dicerorhinus sumatrensis from extinction? focuses on conservation programmes for rare and threatened species in Oryx, , –. South-east Asia. E RIC D INERSTEIN focuses on international conservation projects for large mammals. A . C HRISTY W ILLIAMS is coordinator for WWF–International AREAS programme. R UDI P UTRA works on Biographical sketches the conservation of Sumatran rhinoceros and other large mammals in Aceh, Indonesia. J AMAL G AWI is a biodiversity governance specialist. R ASMUS G REN H AVMØLLER researches the ecology, genetics and con- B IBHAB T ALUKDAR focuses on conservation and management of rhi- servation of large mammals. J UNAIDI P AYNE works on captive breeding noceroses in India and South-east Asia. N EIL B URGESS has worked on and surveys of the Sumatran rhinoceros in Sabah, Malaysia. W IDODO biodiversity conservation, predominantly in Africa, for the last  years.