The last female Sumatran rhino has died in a nature reserve in Malaysia. The animal, named Iman, died of cancer on Saturday, Malaysian officials reported. Tam, Malaysia's last male Sumatran rhino, died in May. The species is now limited to around 80 individuals, all living in Indonesia. “Iman was given the utmost care from the time she was captured in March 2014 until her death. No one could have done more,” said Christine Liew, Sabah’s Minister of State for Tourism, Culture and Environment.
The end for the last Sumatran rhino could be near
According to Augustine Tuuga, director of the Sabah Wildlife Department, the animal had cancer that was causing it significant pain because a tumor was putting pressure on its bladder. Conservationists had hoped to breed Tam and Iman, but those efforts were unsuccessful. One last Sumatran rhino is listed as critically endangered by the World Wildlife Fund, and the International Rhino Foundation estimates there are fewer than 80 animals left worldwide. They are the smallest living rhinos and the only Asian species with two horns. The remaining specimens live in Indonesia, where, according to the Foundation for Protection Against Poachers, they are under strict guard.
Iman's death is a blow to the species, which is already among the most endangered in the world. One last Sumatran rhino is threatened with extinction according to the “Red List” of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. This means that the species is just a category that is almost at the end of its existence in the wild. However, investments in breeding programs and scientific advances in reproductive technology do not give rise to much hope. The effort is complicated by a mix of human factors, including the rhinos' integration into their natural habitats and the animals' solitary nature coupled with their long gestation period, said Terri Roth, vice president of conservation and science at the Cincinnati Zoo andBotanical garden.
Your advertising behavior is not easy
Female Sumatran rhinos carry a calf for about 15 months and walk long distances without being pregnant. Infertile periods also mean that reproductive problems can occur in both males and females. Roth said, noting that Iman already had uterine tumors when she was captured in 2014. Although poaching has long been a threat to rhinos, these animals live deep in the forests. Additionally, they do not travel in herds, which makes it somewhat difficult for poachers to access them. According to Roth, who also directs the zoo's Center for Conservation and Research of Endangered Wildlife, the biggest threat has been disruption to their habitat due to palm oil harvesting and general development.
You can find out more about ithereexperience.
