Javan Rhinos’ Disappearance Raises Concern Over Threat to Conservation
The Ministry of Environment and Forestry emphasized that so far there has been no evidence of the deaths of as many as 15 Javan rhinos in Ujung Kulon National Park.
By
PRADIPTA PANDU MUSTIKA
·4 minutes read
ARSIP BALAI TAMAN NASIONAL UJUNG KULON
The Ujung Kulon National Park Agency has published a photo of the mother and calf of the Javan Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus). During March-August 2015, three Javan rhino births were observed and recorded in Ujung Kulon.
JAKARTA, KOMPAS — Ujung Kulon National Park (TNUK), the only remaining habitat of the Javan rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus), is feared to be in a critical condition, given a recent report that as many as 15 of the population of some 80 have not been captured by surveillance cameras in the last three years.
Suspicions about illegal hunting have arisen with surveillance camera footage showing trespassers armed with guns, believed to be poachers, and several large animal traps found in the field. If the threats are not tackled, the survival of the Javan rhinos, which are threatened by inbreeding, could suffer the same fate as the Javan tiger, which has been declared extinct since the 1980s.
The TNUK’s latest condition and the report on the missing 15 rhinoceros were revealed in an investigation report from Auriga Nusantara, a conservation NGO.
According to the Environment and Forestry (KLHK) Ministry, two of the rhinos were last seen on surveillance camera footage in 2022 before disappearing again.
Auriga Nusantara’s report used information collected from various sources from September 2022 to March 2023 as well as from on-site observations. Auriga Nusantara also obtained surveillance footage from the TNUK to confirm the disappearance of the Javan rhinos.
The footage shows that 18 Javan rhinos have not been consistently recorded since 2019. Three rhinoceros, consisting of one male and two females, were found dead in 2019 and 2021.
“Fifteen have still not been recorded until August 2022. This is a worrying issue, because seven of the unrecorded 15 rhinos are female,” Auriga Nusantara researcher Riszki Is Hardianto told a virtual press conference on Tuesday (11/4/2023).
This is a worrying issue, because seven of the unrecorded 15 rhinos are female.
Riszki said that while it had not been made public, the undetected rhinos were still considered to be alive, given the fact that no carcasses or bones had been found.
However, he believed this was connected to wildlife poaching based on Auriga’s investigation, which had found traps for large animals.
The Javan rhinoceros habitat in TNUK is in a peninsular area. Analysis and evidence of the video footage shows people entering the area illegally, equipped with firearms. Illegal human activity had grown in 2022, from the south to inland areas, and towards the north.
BALAI TAMAN NASIONAL UJUNG KULON
The Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Tuesday (30/4/2019) released a photo of the death of a juvenile Javan rhinoceros in Ujung Kulon National Park, Banten. This rhino was found on March 21 2019 in the Citadahan Block, Cibunar Resort Work Area, Management Section of National Park II Handeuleum Island.
Auriga Nusantara director Timer Manurung said the NGO had conducted its investigation based on the reports it had received over the past year about the condition of Javan rhinoceros conservation from TNUK staff, the Environment and Forestry Ministry, conservationists, academics and the public.
“Interviews with many people resulted in information that did not contradict our findings. It means that all people involved in Javan rhinoceros conservation in Ujung Kulon must have known about the situation,” he said.
Timer criticized the TNUK management for failing to establish proper priorities. He said over the past few years, the management had allocated nearly half of its budget on developing the Javan Rhino Study and Conservation Area (JRSCA), a rhinoceros habitat that did not currently exist.
To improve the TNUK management’s protection of the Javan rhinoceros, Auriga Nusantara called for complete evaluation of the conservation park, its budgeting and work programs. The Environment and Forestry Ministry was urged to take serious measures in implementing a habitat enhancement program and provide space for research on the Javan rhino.
Premature conclusion
Environment ministry public relations head Nunu Anugrah said on Tuesday (11/4) that the TNUK authorities had installed 185 monitoring cameras in 2022 to discover the whereabouts of the 15 rhinos. The cameras were set up at the Kalejetan, Handeuleum, Peucang, Karangranjang and Cibunar resorts.
The results were that two of the animals, identified as Melati and Silva, were spotted in 2022.
Regarding the other rhinoceros, Nunu warned against a premature conclusion that they were dead or lost, saying that they had found no evidence of any deaths. He added that it was highly likely the rhinos were avoiding disturbances in the area and had thus sought a safer environment.
“It is too early to conclude that 15 Javan rhinoceros have disappeared as a result of illegal hunting in the TNUK,” said Nunu in a written statement.
He said rhino identification relied on a photographic album, in which they were distinguished by morphological characteristics. Based on video footage, each animal was given a name and ID number. This method had been used since 2011.
It is too early to conclude that 15 Javan rhinoceros have disappeared as a result of illegal hunting in the TNUK.
The Javan rhino population is closely monitored, with the data verified and updated with each new birth or death.
The Environment and Forestry Ministry issued in March circular No. SE.3/KSDAE/KKHSG/KSA.2/3/2023 on prioritizing management of the Javan rhinoceros.
The circular also mentions the disappearance of around three years of 15 rhinos, consisting of seven females and eight males.
