Rhino Population in Ujung Kulon only 58

Pandeglang (Antara Bali) - The population of one-horned Javan rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus sondaicus) in the Ujung Kulon national park (TNUK) is only 58, the head of the TNUK office, Muhamad Haryono, stated here on Wednesday.

"Based on the monitoring we did during 2013, we found out that the Javan rhino population is 58, consisting of eight calves and 50 young and adult rhinos," he elaborated.

Of the eight calves, three are female and five male. Of the 50 young and adults, 20 are female and 30 male, he explained.

The monitoring was carried from March to December 2013 by installing 120 video cameras along the strait of the park area, he said.

"During the 10 months of the camera monitoring, we got 16 thousands clips, but only 1,660 clips captured the images of rhinos. Of the number, 1,388 clips had the images of rhinos that could be identified, and 272 others could not be identified," he added.

The monitoring in 2012 managed to identify only 52 individual rhinos, he stated.

According to WWF, the Javan rhino is probably the rarest among large mammals on the planet, with no more than 50 left in the wild and none in captivity. Its small population size and likely isolation to one protected area in Indonesia make it extremely vulnerable to threats.

The Javan rhino is a smaller and lighter relative of the greater one-horned rhino. It stands at 1.4 to 1.7 metre height at the shoulder.

Javan rhinos have a single horn, grey or brownish in color, usually less than 20 cm long. The males have larger horns and many females, especially in Ujung Kulon, have no horn or just have a small knob on the nose. The longest horn ever recorded is only about 27 cm long and is now in the British Museum in London. (*/DWA)