The future of the critically endangered Sumatran rhino has been struck a blow, with the death of Malaysia's last male
The rhino once roamed across much of Asia, but has now almost disappeared from the wild. There are now fewer than 100 of the animals left in the world - with some estimates as low as just 30. They have reportedly been victims of habitat fragmentation.
Tam, Malaysia’s last male Sumatran rhino, died Monday, leaving just one sole survivor of the species—a female named Iman—living in the southeast Asian country. His passing, following close on the heels of the June 2017 euthanasia of a 20-year-old female, Puntung, represents a significant blow to the two-horned creatures’ chances of long-term survival.
Wildlife experts in the country captured the male — nicknamed Kretam, or Tam for short — in 2008 on a palm oil plantation when he was about 20 years old. It is currently believed that Tam, who was 30, died of old age. A postmortem will provide more information.
According to environmental news site Mongabay, Tam’s keepers first noticed changes in the roughly 30- to 35-year-old rhino’s appetite and alertness toward the end of April. Although veterinarians and staff at the Tabin Wildlife Reserve, provided constant palliative care in the days preceding his death, the rhino eventually succumbed to worsening health complications.
The Sumatran rhino, Dicerorhinus sumatrensis, is the smallest of the rhino species, weighing just over 2,100 lbs. (960 kilograms). In comparison, the white rhino, the largest rhino species, weighs about 5,000 lb.s (2,300 kg). The animal is closely related to the woolly rhinoceros, which became extinct about 10,000 years ago.
Efforts to breed him with two captured females proved unsuccessful. Researchers believe Puntung was rendered infertile by injuries inflicted by a poacher’s snare, as well as a failed pregnancy prior to her capture. Iman, on the other hand, suffers from an ailment common among female Sumatran rhinos, who can develop cysts and fibroid's in their reproductive tracts if too much time passes without mating. Tam simply had low-quality sperm.
The Sumatran rhino has a relatively long gestation period of about 16 months. Adult females usually have a single calf every four to five years.
This photo of Tam was taken in 2015. Credit: Borneo Rhino Alliance
Though the most recent captive-breeding efforts of these rhinos have failed, there is a sliver of hope for the species. Biologists say that a mere 20 unrelated rhinos could provide enough genetic diversity to ensure the species' survival.
Still, it’s worth noting that Tam’s genome lives on in the form of preserved genetic material. Speaking with Chan of Malay Mail, Liew notes, “We hope that with emerging technologies at cell and molecular level, he may yet contribute his genes to the survival of the species.”
Experts believe as few as 20 unrelated Sumatran rhinos could hold enough genetic diversity to save their population from extinction.
The Sumatran rhino once roamed from the foothills of the Himalayas in Bhutan and north-eastern India, through southern China, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and the Malay Peninsula, and onto the islands of Sumatra and Borneo in Indonesia.
The species is now confined mainly to Sumatra and is listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature - IUCN.
"Sumatran rhinos have really suffered from the fragmentation of their habitat," said Cathy Dean, CEO of the London-based charity, Save the Rhino International.
"With logging, with roads for development, the patches of forest available are shrinking. Frankly it's hard for them to find each other to mate and breed successfully."