The Jakarta Globe, February 28, 2011
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Two Javan rhinos and their calves have been caught on film by WWF Indonesia and Ujung Kulon National Park Authority.
Video documentation of two Javan rhinos and their calves shows that the endangered species is breeding in Ujung Kulon National Park. (AFP Photo) |
The videos of the endangered species were recorded from November to December 2010.
A clip from the first video, which was recorded in November 2010, shows a mother and her male calf walking toward the camera. Several more videos of the family were obtained.
Another rhino family was documented in December 2010. The 30-second video shows a calf that is larger than the previous calf walking with its mother. The calf has been identified as a one-year-old female.
The videos prove that there are Javan rhinos breeding in Ujung Kulon National Park, Banten — which comes as good news after three Javan rhinos were found dead in the national park last year.
“The videos showing these two calves are important because they provide us with substantial information about the population dynamics of Javan rhinos in Ujung Kulon National Park,” said Agus Priambudi, the head of the Ujung Kulon National Park Authority, on Monday. He said the calves would help stablize the rhino population in Ujung Kulon at 50.
“These videos also provide us with some feedback about Javan rhino survey and monitoring systems, and we believe this information is important in ensuring the survival of the endangered species.”
This month Ujung Kulon National Park Authority took over management of the video camera traps in the park. Between 2001 and 2010, the video camera traps were jointly managed by the authority and WWF Indonesia.
“WFF is ready to support the management of video camera traps by the national park authority,” said Adhi Hariyadi, the project leader of the WWF Indonesia-Ujung Kulon Program. “We are more than willing to hand over survey methods and any information we have to ensure effective management in the future.”
After successfully identifying 14 rhino births within the last 10 years using camera traps, the study will now focus more on the habits, genetic diversity and diet of the Javan rhino, among other things.
“The documentation of a female calf is a breath of fresh air for us, and for Javan rhino conservation in general, as the majority of calves previously identified were male,” Adhi said.
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