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Rhino population in Ujung Kulon numbers only 58
The population of the one-horned Javan rhinoceros in Ujung Kulon National Park in Banten is only 58, park office head Muhamad Haryono has said
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he population of the one-horned Javan rhinoceros in Ujung Kulon National Park in Bantenis only 58, park office head Muhamad Haryono has said.
"Based on monitoring in 2013, we found that the Javan rhino population stands at 58, consisting of eight calves and 50 young and adult rhinos," Haryono said on Wednesday as quoted by Antara news agency.
Of the eight calves, three are female and five male. Of 50 young and adult rhinos, 20 are female and 30 male, he explained.
The monitoring was conducted from March to December 2013 by installing 120 video cameras along trails of the park, he said.
"During the 10 months of monitoring, we got 16,000 clips, but only 1,660 clips captured images of rhinos. Of the number, 1,388 clips had images of rhinos that could be identified and 272 of ones that could not be identified," he added.
Monitoring in 2012 identified only 52 individual rhinos, he stated.
According to the WWF, the Javan rhino is probably the rarest among large mammals on the planet, with no more than 50 left in the wild and none in captivity. Its small population and likely isolation to one protected area in Indonesia make it extremely vulnerable to threats.
The Javan rhino is 1.4 to 1.7 meters in height at the shoulder.
Javan rhinos are dusky grey in color and have a single horn of up to 20 centimeters in length. The males have larger horns and many females, especially in Ujung Kulon, have no horn or just a small knob. The longest horn ever recorded was about 27 cm long and is now in the British Museum in London.
