Sumatran rhinos are now extinct in the wild in Sabah

Sumatran rhinoceros habituating in Sabah are now effectively extinct in the wild after a recent survey shows no sightings of the smallest species of rhinos in Ulu Segama Forest Reserve and Tabin Wildlife Reserve in Lahad Datu.

 

The camera traps used in the habitats of the rhinos no longer capture the sight of them, and their prints could no longer be found.

 

Sumatran rhinos are listed as critically endangered species by World Wild Life, with population less than 80 now clinging to life on the islands of Sumatra and Borneo.

 

Two contributing factors for the extinction of Sumatran rhinos are poaching and habitat loss.

 

Source: World Wildlife

 

Although there may no longer be any rhinos left in Sabah, state Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Christina Liew still believes that the habitats remain suitable for the species.

 

Worldwide, Save the Rhino International program was launched in the 1990s to raise funds in its efforts to save the endangered species, after a black rhino poaching epidemic left only 2,475 in the world.

 

Save the Rhino in collaboration with Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary built a breeding centre in Indonesia and they have so far successfully had two rhino births in the hope to keep the rhinos alive for many more years.