Date: April 13, 2016
Source: Forschungsverbund Berlin
e.V. (FVB)
A new study examines the decline
of the Sumatran rhino in Borneo. It concludes that the remnant populations of
Sumatran rhinos can only be rescued by combining efforts of total protection
with stimulation of breeding activity. The researchers suggest to resettle
small isolated populations and to undertake measures to improve fertility. The
case of the recently captured female rhino in Kalimantan, Borneo shows the
importance of immediate action. The article has been published in the
scientific journal Global Ecology and Conservation.
A consortium of international
scientists examined the historical development of the Sumatran rhinos in
Borneo. Their study identified the low reproduction of females in combination
with hunting as the main cause for the current decline of rhinos. "Females
do not find a mating partner within the small isolated populations any
more," explains Petra Kretzschmar, scientist at the Leibniz Institute for
Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW), "the long non-reproductive periods lead
to the development of reproductive tract tumours." Only a combination of
intensive protection with improvements of the reproductive performance can save
the species from extiction. The researchers recommend resettling populations of
less than 15 individuals to highly protected areas. Here, reproductive health
should be monitored on a regular basis and individual female fertility
(conception) should be optimised by using assisted reproduction techniques.
For their study, the scientists
compared historical data with recent developments about the Borneo rhino
(Dicerorhinus sumatrensis harrissoni), one of two extant subspecies of the
Sumatran rhino. The researchers used mathematical models to reconstruct the
decline of the rhino population in the Tabin Wildlife Reserve (TWR) in the
Malayan state Sabah of Borneo. A study on habitat use completed the picture.
Here, the scientists analysed data collected over a span of 13 years and
identified the characteristics describing the preferred habitat of the rhinos.
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