Efforts to Save the Sumatran Rhino

KOMPAS/ZULKARNAINI

East Aceh Regent Hasballah M Thaib inaugurated the start of construction of the Sumatran rhino sanctuary in Rantau Panjang Village, Simpang Jernih District, East Aceh Regency, Aceh Province, Thursday (11/11/2021).

The Sumatran rhinoceros (Dicerorhius sumatrensis), an endemic animal with a population of less than 100 individuals, is on the brink of extinction. Developing a rhino sanctuary is part of an emergency action plan to save the protected two-horned animal.

Optimism radiated from the face of Hasballah M. Thaib, the regent of East Aceh in Aceh province, as he led the groundbreaking ceremony for the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary (SRS) in Ranto Panjang village, Simpang Jernih district, on Thursday (11/11/2021).

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The groundbreaking ceremony for the SRS was held solemnly. Around 100 people attended as witnesses. They consisted of representatives of the Environment and Forestry Ministry, the Aceh provincial administration, the North Badak Consortium, Tropical Forest Conservation Action-Sumatra, and community leaders. Prayers and peusijuek (Acehnese traditional procession) accompanied the laying of the cornerstone to bless the project with safety and peace.

“I am happy that East Aceh has rhinoceros. We must take care of [them],” said Hasballah.

The planned SRS is located in the vicinity of the Leuser Ecosystem, its gate in an area connected to a protected forest.

The SRS is built far from human settlements. It takes three hours to reach the site using a four-wheel drive car. The only access to the location is a road owned by an oil palm plantation company. The road condition is muddy, slippery and steep. Hasballah said that the Sumatran rhinos in the forests of East Aceh were a gift that must be protected. Moreover, the animal’s current population was very small.

Others live in Lampung and Kalimantan, but the population in Aceh is the largest and are fully protected.

Less than an estimated 15 Sumatran rhinos live in the eastern part of the Leuser Ecosystem, estimated at under, while over 15 rhinos live the western part of Leuser. Others live in Lampung and Kalimantan, but the population in Aceh is the largest and are fully protected.

Kompas

The baby Sumatran rhino Delilah and her mother, the Sumatran Rhino, eat fruit at the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary, Way Kambas National Park, East Lampung, Wednesday (27/6).

Sumatran rhinos are one of five rhinoceros species in the world. These rhinos are the smallest, reaching a height of 120-145 centimeters and a length of up to 250 cm, and are also known as hairy rhinos. The Javan rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus), a one-horned mammal that is also classified as an endangered species, can reach 170 cm meters tall and 2-4 m long.

Hasballah is committed to becoming the first to succeed in saving Aceh’s rhinos. He has also called on the people of East Aceh to protect the forest.

“Nature provides what we need, but don't cut down trees and destroy the forests. Our children and grandchildren have the right to enjoy them. We do this for them," he said.

Hope of the world

Now, Aceh is the hope of the world to save the Sumatran rhinoceros. The Leuser forest is the only area where four key animals live: the Sumatran elephant, Sumatran orangutan, Sumatran tiger and Sumatran rhino.

These four animal species are already in a very critical state. However, rhinos are thought to be on the brink of extinction, just one step to full extinction, so it is necessary to gather all resources to maintain them.

Kompas

Sumatran Rhino (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis) Female Queen (15) lying next to a baby female rhino that had just been born at the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary, Way Kambas National Park, Thursday (12/5/16).

In addition to being a special area for the animals, the sanctuary is also to be a center for rhinoceros education, research, and ecotourism. The rhino sanctuary in East Aceh is the second wildlife sanctuary after Way Kambas, Lampung.

The development of the SRS is funded by a debt-swap scheme with the United States through the Tropical Forest Conservation Action for Sumatra (TFCA-Sumatra) program. The initial budget is Rp 16 billion, with the initial stage of construction to be completed in the next six months. The project will then proceed to constructing a number of infrastructure facilities over the next three years.

Area management director Jefri Susyafrianto of the Environment and Forestry Ministry expressed his high hopes that the sanctuary would ensure the sustainability of the Sumatran rhino.

A field survey conducted by the consortium behind the project found pockets of Sumatran rhinos on the island of Sumatra. The team also found tracks, torn leaves, and feces. This confirmed that Aceh's forests offer great hope for the survival of this rhino species.

"If we succeed, it will be very encouraging. We pray that such a success will lead to the birth to other rhinos," said Jefri.

Breeding

Veterinary experts from Syiah Kuala University (Unsyiah) in Banda Aceh and IPB University are involved with the consortium. They are expected to assist with in-depth research and breeding through the use of technology.

KOMPAS/VINA OKTAVIA

The process of herding the Rhino of Hope from the old cage to the new cage at the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary (SRS), Way Kambas National Park, East Lampung, Lampung, Wednesday (30/10/2019).

Hambal, a veterinarian from the Unsyiah Center for Wildlife Studies, said the solitary nature of rhinos made breeding difficult. The rhinos in eastern Leuser must be saved because there was no potential for breeding.

In the 1990s, the Sumatran rhino population was estimated to be between 300 and 800 animals. However, now less than 100 exist in the wild. In 1995, an estimated 10 rhinos lived in the northern part of Kerinci Seblat National Park, but they are now extinct.

Hambal said rhinoceroses played a major role in maintaining the ecosystem by helping to regenerate forests. Rhinos eat vegetation and sow seeds as they pass through the forest. Weighing up to 800 kilograms, the animal can walk dozens of kilometers.

“Indeed, there is not much literature about rhinos. This is an opportunity for us to do more in-depth research,” said Hambal.

The situation is more or less the same for the remaining Javan rhinos at Ujung Kulon National Park in Banten province.

Habitat destruction, poaching the animals for their horns, and a low birth rate (one birth every 3-4 years) threaten to the species’ survival. The situation is more or less the same for the remaining Javan rhinos at Ujung Kulon National Park in Banten province.

TFCA-Sumatra director Samedi said that Indonesia still had hope for saving the Sumatran rhinoceros. "We don't want to announce the extinction of the Sumatran rhino on the 100th anniversary of Indonesian independence," he said.

Indonesia should be proud to have the iconic and endemic rhinoceros species. Apart from various measures, building the sanctuary is one way to stave off their extinction.

(This article was translated by Hyginus Hardoyo).