Jakarta - Conservationists have found signs of four Javan
rhinos born in recent weeks on Indonesia's Java island, a development
that would be a critical boost to the population of one of the
world's rarest species, activists said Tuesday.
'The discovery of the rhino babies indicates that reproduction
continues and regeneration can be guaranteed,' Agus Primabudi, head
of the Ujung Kulon National Park, told state-run Antara news agency.
He said the offspring varied in size, with the smallest front and
back foot prints measured at 17-18 centimetres in diameter, and the
largest at 23-24 centimetres.
He explained that the data on footprints was collected by a team
of biologists, including park rangers and the World Wide Fund for
Nature staff, during a routine census to determine the estimated
number of rhinoceros population.
Primabudi said because of the distance between the areas where the
discoveries were made and the differences in the size of the
footprints, the team concluded there is evidence of four different
calves.
Scientists said that Javan rhinos are found only in two locations
in the world, in the Ujung Kulon National Park in western Java, and
in one area in Vietnam.
Primabudi estimated up to 50 rhinoceros were recorded in Ujung
Kulon. Scientists believe the animal is the rarest large mammal
species in the world and is critically endangered. Poaching and
pressure from a growing human population pose great risks to the
protected areas where they live.
In an attempt to protect the species from extinction that could be
caused by disease or natural disasters, the WWF said early this year
that efforts were being made to create additional Javan rhino
breeding groups by transferring some from Ujung Kulon to another
suitable site.
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