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Sumatran Rhino Declared Extinct In The Wild In Malaysia



It’s already considered to be the most endangered species of rhino, but the Sumatran rhinoceros has just taken another blow: It has now been declared extinct in the wild in Malaysia. This means the fate of the species rests on an estimated 100 individuals that survive scattered across a handful of national parks in Indonesia and nine in captivity.

The news comes from a report on the state of the Sumatran rhino and whether current conservation efforts are enough to keep the species alive. They conclude that, despite extensive survey efforts in the Sabah region of Malaysia, there have been no signs of the animal since 2007, not including the two females caught and taken into captivity for breeding in 2011 and 2014. These two individuals, however, were not enough for the scientists to consider that a population remains today. The researchers urge conservation efforts in Indonesia to intensify.

“It is vital for the survival of the species that all remaining Sumatran rhinos are viewed as a metapopulation, meaning that all are managed in a single program across national and international borders in order to maximize overall birth rate. This includes the individuals currently held in captivity,” explains lead author Rasmus Gren Havmøller from the University of Copenhagen.

The rhino used to have an extensive range, from the foothills of the Himalayas in Bhutan, through southern China, to the islands of Borneo and Sumatra, where the last of the species clings on. The smallest living species of rhino, it is also the hairiest, with young animals sporting a particularly shaggy coat and adults retaining sparse tufts of hair. Despite there being fewer Javan rhino, the Sumatran is considered more endangered simply due to the speed at which the species has been extirpated from its range over the past two decades. It’s estimated that the population has declined by over 50% per decade, as poaching for its horn and habitat destruction takes its toll.

The authors of the study, published in the journal Oryx, stress that the survival of the species depends on politics as much as direct protection. Intensive management zones, treating the entirety of the species as a single population, the continued development of Rhino Protection Units, and captive breeding were all identified as key conservation actions way back in April 2013. Bringing the species back is possible, as was shown when the white rhino in Africa was reduced to a few hundred individuals, it just requires a stronger political will to make it happen.

“The tiger in India was saved from extinction due to the direct intervention of Mrs. Gandhi, the then prime minister, who set up Project Tiger,” says Christy Williams, co-author and coordinator of the WWF Asian and Rhino and Elephant Action Strategy. “A similar high level intervention by President Joko Widodo of Indonesia could help pull the Sumatran rhinos back from the brink.” 

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MAĐARSKA OGRADA ĆE ZAUSTAVITI MIGRACIJE DIVLJAČI I DOVESTI DO IZUMIRANJA NEKIH VRSTA

Opasno „rešeto“ na granici

Ograda koju Mađarska podiže na granici sa Srbijom, ne samo da ne rešava problem migranata, u čemu se slažu i oponenti iz Evropske unije, nego je izvesno da će ovakve mere mađarske vlade negativno uticati i na životinjski svet sa obe strane „žice“.
Postavljanje četiri metra visoke barijere u dužini od 175 kilometara, na granici između dve „panonske“ države može da dovede do izumiranja vojvođanskog slepog kučeta, ali i da spreči slobodno kretanje i više vrsta krupnih divljih sisara, pogotovo jelena, srna, zečeva, lisica i divljih svinja, upozoravaju stručnjaci iz Pokrajinskog zavoda za zaštitu prirode. Isto misle i mađarski biolozi i lovci u pograničnim lovištima, ali se čini da to neće ni za trenutak zaustaviti izgradnju žičane ograde namenjene zaustavljanju migranata.

Opširnije možete pročitati u najnovijem broju Zova.

Gray Wolf Pack Spotted In California For The First Time In 90 Years





After the heartbreaking tale of the famous lone Grand Canyon wolf, the first one in the area for 70 years, that was shot dead around Christmas last year, it’s time we had some good news. A pack of wolves has managed to establish itself in California. Whoop!

You’ve probably already worked out the reason that this has got conservationists skipping and squealing joyfully – while they used to be a permanent feature of California’s landscapes, gray wolves were extirpated, or became locally extinct, from the state long ago. Largely the work of hunting under government programs in an attempt to protect livestock, gray wolves hadn’t been confirmed in California for more than 90 years.

But hints of a possible return surfaced a few years back when a wolf named OR7 was spotted skulking around in the tail end of 2011. Dispersed from a pack in Oregon, the lone ranger hung around for a couple of years before returning to its home state and taking up the position of breeding male in a group called the Rogue Pack.

Then, earlier this month, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) announced it had photographic evidence that at least one wolf had made its way to Siskiyou County. Prompted by “compelling information” received by Californian residents who reported spotting a big dark canid, the CDFW set up cameras in the area and scoured the footage it gathered. Although images in May captured an animal of a similar description, DNA analysis from poop specimens collected at the site were inconclusive.

Stepping up their game, the CDFW dotted more cameras around in the hope of spotting it again, but they got more than they could have hoped for. One of them took several pictures showcasing not one, but seven gray wolves. Five of these are pups (naaw) believed to be a few months old, and the others are adults, one of which was probably the individual spotted in May.

“This news is exciting for California,” CDFW Director Charlton H. Bonham said in a statement. “We knew wolves would eventually return home to the state and it appears now is the time.”

The group, which may have come from Oregon’s Rogue Pack, has been dubbed the Shasta Pack.

The wolves are afforded protection under the Federal Endangered Species Act of 1973, which states that they cannot be killed, shot, captured, collected, harmed, hunted, harassed etc. Last year, they were also added on to the California Endangered Species Act. A plan to manage them is currently under construction, but in the meantime visitors to the area can help out by reporting sightings and other info here.
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