Jakarta Globe, December 23, 2013
Indonesia has seen a dramatic decline in the number of Javan and Sumatran rhinos over the past eight years, according to a director of an organization dedicated to preserving the animals.
 |
| A baby Sumatran rhino with its mother at Way Kambas park in Lampung. (EPA Photo/Hadi Wijoyo) |
Indonesia has seen a dramatic decline in the number of Javan and Sumatran rhinos over the past eight years, according to a director of an organization dedicated to preserving the animals.
“Rhinos can
no longer be found in Jambi, South Sumatra and Bengkulu — places that were once
the main habitat for those populations,” Indonesia Rhino Foundation (YABI)
executive director Widodo Ramono said, as quoted by Antaranews.com.
According
to him, the rhino population not in captivity in Java and Sumatra has fallen
from 800 eight years ago to an estimated 100 now. Thirty of them are in Way
Kambas National Park, Lampung.
The
remainder, he said, now live in South Bukit Barisan National Park, spanning the
Sumatran provinces of Lampung, Bengkulu and South Sumatra.
Speaking at
a workshop and socialization event for law enforcement against the killing and
trade of protected animals, Widodo called on the government and public to make
serious efforts to protect the animals, which are on the brink of extinction.
Rhino horns
remain a sought-after ingredient in traditional Chinese medicine, and demand
for it in countries such as China and Vietnam has led to thousands of the
animals being killed across Africa and Asia in recent years.
“Rhinos are
part of what supports humans’ ecosystem,” he said. “Poaching and forest
encroachment have become the main cause of their decline.”
Widodo said
YABI was committed to ensuring local rhinos were well protected.
“It is such
a shame conservation efforts cannot balance out the speed at which they are
going extinct,” he said.
Related Article:
No comments:
Post a Comment