A teaching case study of Conservation using the plight of the Javan and Sumatran Rhinos.

1. Indonesia’s Rhino’s
Liam Hammer
Department of Science
Global Jaya International School

2. BB Question #1 – What levels of taxonomy are the Sumatran Rhino
(Dicerorhinus sumatrensis) and Javan Rhino (Rhinoceros sondaicus)?
A. They are subspecies of the Rhinoceros species
B. They are both cousins of each other
C. They are both members of the same genus
D. They are probably both members of the same family
*Remember the rules of binomial classification

3. Rhinocerotidae
Rhinoceros Dicerorhinus
Rhinoceros Rhinoceros Dicerorhinus
unicornis sondaicus sumatrensis
(Indian Rhino) (Javan Rhino) (Sumatran Rhino)

4. Sumatran Rhinoceros
The Sumatran Rhinoceros (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis) is a member of the
family Rhinocerotidae and one of five extant rhinoceroses. It is the only extant species
of the genus Dicerorhinus. Like the African species, it has two horns; the larger is the
nasal horn, typically 15–25 centimetres while the other horn is typically a stub. A coat
of reddish-brown hair covers most of the Sumatran Rhino's body.
Members of the species once inhabited rainforests, swamps and cloud
forests in India, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, an
d China.
The species is much better studied than
the similarly reclusive Javan
Rhinoceros, in part because of a program
that brought 40 Sumatran Rhinos into
captivity with the goal of preserving the
species. The program was considered a
disaster even by its initiator; most of the
rhinos died and no offspring were
produced for nearly 20
years, representing an even worse
population decline than in the wild.

5. Javan Rhinoceros
The Javan rhinoceros or lesser one-horned rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus) is a
member of the family Rhinocerotidae and one of five extant rhinoceroses. It
belongs to the same genus as the Indian rhinoceros, and has similar mosaic skin
which resembles armor, but at 3.1–3.2 m in length and 1.4–1.7 m in height, it is
smaller. Its horn is usually less than 25 cm (10 inches), smaller than those of the
other rhino species.
It historically inhabited lowland rain
forest, wet grasslands and large
floodplains. The Javan rhino is mostly
solitary, except for courtship and child-
rearing, though groups may occasionally
congregate near wallows and salt licks.
Aside from humans, adults have no
predators in their range.

7. The International Union for
Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List
http://www.iucnredlist.org/technical-documents/categories-and-criteria/2001-
categories-criteria#categories

8. IV. THE CATEGORIES
EXTINCT (EX)
A taxon is Extinct when there is no reasonable doubt that the last individual has died. A taxon is presumed Extinct when exhaustive surveys in known and/or
expected habitat, at appropriate times (diurnal, seasonal, annual), throughout its historic range have failed to record an individual. Surveys should be over a
time frame appropriate to the taxon's life cycle and life form.
EXTINCT IN THE WILD (EW)
A taxon is Extinct in the Wild when it is known only to survive in cultivation, in captivity or as a naturalized population (or populations) well outside the past
range. A taxon is presumed Extinct in the Wild when exhaustive surveys in known and/or expected habitat, at appropriate times
(diurnal, seasonal, annual), throughout its historic range have failed to record an individual.
CRITICALLY ENDANGERED (CR)
A taxon is Critically Endangered when the best available evidence indicates that it meets any of the criteria A to E for Critically Endangered (see Section
V), and it is therefore considered to be facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.
ENDANGERED (EN)
A taxon is Endangered when the best available evidence indicates that it meets any of the criteria A to E for Endangered (see Section V), and it is therefore
considered to be facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild.
VULNERABLE (VU)
A taxon is Vulnerable when the best available evidence indicates that it meets any of the criteria A to E for Vulnerable (see Section V), and it is therefore
considered to be facing a high risk of extinction in the wild.
NEAR THREATENED (NT)
A taxon is Near Threatened when it has been evaluated against the criteria but does not qualify for Critically Endangered, Endangered or Vulnerable now, but
is close to qualifying for or is likely to qualify for a threatened category in the near future.
LEAST CONCERN (LC)
A taxon is Least Concern when it has been evaluated against the criteria and does not qualify for Critically Endangered, Endangered, Vulnerable or Near
Threatened. Widespread and abundant taxa are included in this category.
DATA DEFICIENT (DD)
A taxon is Data Deficient when there is inadequate information to make a direct, or indirect, assessment of its risk of extinction based on its distribution
and/or population status. A taxon in this category may be well studied, and its biology well known, but appropriate data on abundance and/or distribution are
lacking. Data Deficient is therefore not a category of threat. Listing of taxa in this category indicates that more information is required and acknowledges the
possibility that future research will show that threatened classification is appropriate.
NOT EVALUATED (NE)
A taxon is Not Evaluated when it is has not yet been evaluated against the criteria.

9. Criteria for Threatened Species
Population trait Vulnerable Endangered Critical
20% in 10 yrs 50% in 10 yrs 80% in 10 yrs
Observed decline or 3 generations or 3 generations or 3 generations
Geographical < 20 000 km2 < 5000 km2 < 100 km2
range < 10 locations < 5 locations single location
Total population N < 10 000 N < 2500 N < 250
N = population size Ns < 1000 Ns < 50
Ns = subpopulation sizes
Ns < 250
Projected > 20% in 10 yrs > 20% in 5 yrs > 25% in 3 yrs
decline or 3 generations or 2 generations or 1 generation
Probability > 20% in 20 yrs > 50% in 10 yrs
> 10% in 100 yrs
of extinction or 5 generations or 3 generations

10. BB question #2 -Study the categories of endangered
animals and then decided which levels the Sumatran
Rhino and Javan Rhino belong.
A. Both are critically endangered
B. The Sumatran Rhino is endangered and the Javan
Rhino is critically endangered
C. Both are endangered
D. Javan Rhino is extinct from the wild and the
Sumatran Rhino is critically endangered
E. Other options

11. • The Javan Rhino species is critically
endangered, with only one known population
in the wild, and no individuals in captivity.

12. Answer BB question #2 = A
both are critically endangered, in fact, the Javan Rhino
is possibly the most endangered mammal on earth.

15. Rhino Poached to Extinction in
Vietnam: WWF October 25, 2011
A critically endangered species of rhino has been poached to
extinction in Vietnam, wildlife groups said on Tuesday after the
country’s last Javan rhino was found dead with its horn hacked off.
The Javan rhinoceros was pronounced extinct in Vietnam by WWF and the International
Rhino Foundation (IRF) after all dung samples in a 2009 and 2010 survey at Cat Tien National
Park — the only known habitat — were confirmed to have been from the animal.
“The last Javan rhino in Vietnam has gone,” said Tran Thi Minh Hien, WWF Vietnam country
director. “Vietnam has lost part of its natural heritage.”
In a new report, WWF suggests poaching was the likely cause of death for the rhino, which
was found in April 2010 with a bullet in its leg and its horn removed in the national park in
southern Vietnam, around 160 kilometers from Ho Chi Minh City.
The group said “ineffective protection by the park was ultimately the cause of the extinction”
and warned that illegal hunting to supply the wildlife trade threatened the futures of other
rare animals in the country.
http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/international/rhino-poached-to-extinction-in-vietnam-wwf/473891

16. BB #3 – Is this article bad news for the
Javan Rhino?
A. Yes
B. No
C. Depends
The Ecology of Java and Bali 1996
tells us that this is not a problem
because the males roam much
more than the females in order to
make and protect their
terroritory, so that only the males
are caught on camera.

17. BB #4 – how do we study these
animals?
A. Capture, Mark, Release and Recapture
B. Visual Surveys & Transects
C. Camera traps and fecal samples
D. Ex situ – study these animals in zoos and
wildlife parks.

18. • Scientists and conservationists rarely study the
animals directly due to their extreme rarity
and the danger of interfering with such an
endangered species. Researchers rely on
camera traps and fecal samples to gauge
health and behavior.

19. In captivity
• A Javan rhinoceros has not been exhibited
in zoos in a century. In the 19th century, at
least four rhinos were exhibited in
Adelaide, Calcutta and London. A total of
at least 22 Javan rhinos have been
documented as having been kept in
captivity, and it is possible that the
number is greater as the species was
sometimes confused with the Indian
rhinoceros.
• The Javan rhinoceros never fared well in
captivity. The oldest lived to be 20, about
half the age the rhinos will reach in the
wild. The last captive Javan rhino died at
the Adelaide Zoo in Australia in 1907
where the species was so little known that
it had been exhibited as an Indian
rhinoceros

20. For Sale….

21. A painting from 1861 depicts the
hunting of R. s. sondaicus

22. Good news – sort of
Two adult rhinos with their
calves were filmed in a
motion-triggered video
released on February
28, 2011 by WWF and
Indonesia's National Park
Authority, which proved that
it is still breeding in the wild.
https://www.youtube.com/w
atch?NR=1&feature=endscre
en&v=3MhB4coUrYA
https://www.youtube.com/w
atch?feature=fvwp&NR=1&v
=QTELuPmncGM 2009

23. Where to now ?
• Is it worth the money ?
• Are there better things to spend our money
on ?
• Save Ujung Kulon, save the Rhino ?