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  WWF 1 Sep 06
Baby boom for world’s rarest rhino species

Antara 1 Sep 06
Four rhino cubs born in Ujung Kulon national park

Yahoo News 1 Sep 06
'Baby boom' among rare Javan rhinos

Yahoo News 1 Sep 06
Indonesia finds signs of rare Javan rhino breeding

Fri Sep 1, 2:58 AM ET JAKARTA (Reuters) - Experts in Indonesia say they have found evidence suggesting that four Javan rhino calves have been born in recent weeks, raising hopes over the prospects for a species on the brink of extinction.

There are estimated to be fewer than 60 Javan rhinos worldwide, with between 26 to 58 believed to be living in Indonesia's Ujung Kulon National Park on the far west of Java island.

Signs of baby rhinos were discovered by a team of biologists and wardens in the park, including small footprints next to larger footprints belonging to the mother in a number of locations, members of the team told a news conference on Friday.

The team then came face-to-face with a calf, identified as a female, and her mother.

"To discover that this population is breeding - and even slowly growing -- gives us hope for the species' future," Arman Malolongan, director general of forest protection and nature conservation at Indonesia's forestry ministry said in a statement.

The distance between the four areas where footprints were found and the sighting indicated four newborn rhinos, the team said.

WWF Indonesia, a conservation group also involved in trying to protect the rhino, urged Indonesian park authorities take steps to prevent destruction habitat from cattle or invasive vegetation.

Indonesia's rich and varied natural environment faces intense pressure from human encroachment.

The only other known population of the Javan rhino, the rarest of the world's five rhino species, is in Cat Tien National Park in Vietnam.

Yahoo News 1 Sep 06
'Baby boom' among rare Javan rhinos

Fri Sep 1, 1:27 PM ET JAKARTA (AFP) - Four Javan rhinos were born recently in Indonesia, the first known births in three years, raising hope for the future of the endangered species, WWF-Indonesia said.

At least four different footprints were discovered by a WWF team in Ujung Kulon national park, at the far western end of Java island, where nearly all of the surviving Javan rhinoceroses roam.

"Because of the distance between the four areas where the discoveries were made and the differences in the size of the footprints, the team concluded they are evidence of four different calves", WWF said in a press release.

WWF and park staff said they hope to snap photos of the newborns with remote-triggered cameras used to monitor the endangered animals.

"Our team was lucky to actually be able to observe a mother and calf on the regular route from north to south of Ujung Kulon Peninsula," said Adhi Rahmat Hariyadi, WWF-Indonesia's site manager at the park.

"To discover that this population is breeding -- and even slowly growing -- gives us hope for the species future", said Arman Malolongan, director general of forest protection and nature conservation at Indonesias forestry ministry.

The Javan rhino (Rhinoceros sondaicus), which is believed to be the rarest large mammal species in the world, is under threat from poachers seeking its single curved horn, which distinguishes it from its two-horned Sumatran cousin. Between 26 and 58 Javan rhinos are believed to live in Ujung Kulon park.

The only other known population of Javan rhinos is in Cat Tien National Park in Vietnam, where no more than eight rhinos are believed to dwell.

WWF 1 Sep 06
Baby boom for world’s rarest rhino species

01 Sep 2006 Jakarta, Indonesia/Gland, Switzerland – Scientists have found signs of four Javan rhinos born in recent weeks in Indonesia, a surprising baby boom for a species that may be reduced to fewer than 60 individuals worldwide.

Signs of the rhino calves were discovered in Indonesia’s Ujung Kulon National Park by a team of biologists, including park rangers and WWF staff, and local people checking on the rhinos after the recent earthquake on the island of Java.

These are the first known births for the Javan rhinos in three years.

"Javan rhinos are probably the rarest large mammal species in the world and they are on the very brink of extinction,” said Arman Malolongan, Director General of Forest Protection and Nature Conservation at Indonesia’s Ministry of Forestry. “To discover that this population is breeding, and even slowly growing, gives us hope for the species’ future.”

Javan rhinos are the rarest of the world’s five rhino species and are critically endangered. It is estimated that between 28 and 56 Javan rhinos live in Ujung Kulon. The only other known population is in Cat Tien National Park in Vietnam, where no more than eight rhinos are thought to survive.

The team found the first sign of a calf a few weeks ago, with the discovery of a small footprint (about 16–17 cm) along with a larger footprint belonging to the mother.

One day after this first discovery, another set of mother and calf footprints of slightly different size was found in a different area. Both signs were estimated to be three days old or less.

On the same day, a second team came face-to-face with a mother and female calf. And the following day, the team found a fourth small footprint in a different location.

Because of the distance between the four areas where the discoveries were made and the differences in the size of the footprints, the team concluded they are evidence of four different calves.

“Javan rhinos live deep inside the rainforest and it’s very unusual to catch a glimpse of them,” said Adhi Rahmat Hariyadi, WWF-Indonesia Site Manager in Ujung Kulon National Park. “Our team was lucky to actually be able to observe a mother and calf in the Ujung Kulon Peninsula while checking camera traps installed in the area.”

WWF and park staff hope to capture photos of the newborns from remote-triggered camera traps used to monitor the rhinos.

With this new evidence that the Javan rhino population in Ujung Kulon is breeding, WWF recommends that the park authorities find ways to reduce the main threats to this rare species, such as habitat and food competition with wild cattle within the park, and invasive vegetation that limits the expansion of the rhinos’ favoured food sources.

WWF also calls for the establishment of a second population of Javan rhinos outside the park to protect the species from disease or natural disasters that could wipe out the entire population.

END NOTES:

• WWF-Indonesia has been working on Javan rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus) conservation since 1962 when Dr Rudolph Schenkel studied many aspects of the rhinos’ behaviour, distribution and biology. Over the years the species has faced many threats such as poaching, shrinking habitats and catastrophes like the eruption of the Krakatoa volcano in 1883. At a certain point in the past century, there were only 25 individuals left in the wild. Today, competition for food and space is an enormous challenge facing the Javan rhino. The animals have to share the Ujung Kulon National Park with wild cattle, and their habitat is under threat by an invasive palm species.

• Through the work of WWF-Indonesia and the Ujung Kulon National Park Authority, effective law enforcement in Ujung Kulon National Park has resulted in the complete elimination of rhino poaching since the early 1990s. This has enabled the rhino population to reach its current numbers.

• WWF-Indonesia has also started extensive research on the Javan rhino and collected information on population size, age and sex distribution. DNA analysis from dung samples has revealed important information on the population’s genetic diversity. Camera traps were installed to collect photo evidence of individual animals, their size, age distribution, sex and health.

Antara 1 Sep 06
Four rhino cubs born in Ujung Kulon national park

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Four rhinoceros cubs were recently born in Ujung Kulon National Park, Banten province, an official report said.

The birth of the four rhino babies was discovered during a survey at the national park located on the western most tip of Java Island, a press statement from the Forestry Ministry said here on Friday.

One of the four cubs was sighted by survey team members, while the other three were detected by their tracks.

The team consisting of several local people, and officers of the Ujung Kulon National Park and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) conducted the survey in July 2006.

On July 24, 2006, the survey team found a rhino track measuring 16-17 cm. On the same day, they spotted a female rhino cub and her mother. Other traces were discovered on July 26, 2006 in a separate place, which is quite a distance from the first one.

Based on the different sizes of the tracks which were discovered in different locations, the team concluded that there were four rhino cubs in the national part, the habitat of Javanese rhinoceros.

There are five species of rhino - two African and three Asian. The African species are the white and black rhinos. Both species have two horns. Asian rhinos include the Indian and the Javan, each with one horn, and the Sumatran, which has two horns.

Out of the world`s five rhino species, the Javan rhinoceros is categorized as critically endangered in the IUCN red List of Threatened Species. The largest population of Javan rhinoceros is in the Ujung Kulon National Park, where they number between 50 and 60. The remaining Javan rhinos, around 2 to 8 rhinos, are believed to live in Vietnam`s Cat Tien National Park.

Rhinos rank among the most endangered species on Earth.

Valued for their horns, they face a serious threat from poaching. Some cultures believe that the powdered rhino horn will cure everything from fever to food poisoning and will enhance sexual stamina. (*)
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