Zoo’s Sumatran rhino dies

Sumatran rhino Emi, right and her calf, Suci in 2005. (The Enquirer / Tony Jones)

Emi, the Sumatran rhino that delivered a record number of calves while in captivity, died this weekend, dealing a setback to the breeding programs that once called her the last hope to saving the endangered species.

The 21-year-old rhino lived at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden for 14 years, becoming a crowd favorite and producing three calves, Andalas, Suci and Harapan.

Just eight years ago, the delivery of Andalas marked the first captive birth of a Sumatran rhino in more than a century and helped the zoo become an internationally known breeding program.

“The loss of an animal that’s as beloved and well-known as Emi is always heartbreaking,” said Thane Maynard, director of the Cincinnati Zoo. “But it’s important to remember, too, that we’re going to continue to work to save endangered species like this, and that Emi won’t be forgotten.”

Poaching boom is once again threatening the world’s rhinos

Rhino killed

Poaching crisis as rhino horn demand booms in Asia

July 2009. Rhino poaching worldwide is poised to hit a 15-year-high driven by increased demand in Asia, according to new research.

Poachers in Africa and Asia are killing an ever increasing number of rhinos-an estimated two to three a week in some areas-to meet a growing demand for horns believed in some countries to have medicinal value, according to a briefing to a key international wildlife trade body by WWF, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and their affiliated wildlife trade monitoring network TRAFFIC.

12 rhinos killed every month in South Africa and Zimbabwe
An estimated three rhinos were illegally killed each month in all of Africa from 2000-05, out of a population of around 18,000. In contrast, 12 rhinoceroses now are being poached each month in South Africa and Zimbabwe alone, the three groups told the 58th meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species Standing Committee this week in Geneva.

“Illegal rhino horn trade to destinations in Asia is driving the killing, with growing evidence of involvement of Vietnamese, Chinese and Thai nationals in the illegal procurement and transport of rhino horn out of Africa,” the briefing states.

More, click source: Wildlife Extra News

Treasuring the Javan Rhino

Jakarta Globe – In a tranquil forest on the westernmost tip of Java, the sound of lapping water in a moss-green river is accompanied by an occasional breeze whispering through the foliage of nipa palms as kaleidoscopic butterflies flit across the riverbed.

Further down the river, past overhanging branches on which pythons slither and civets spring, across boggy terrain and two coral-bedded creeks, is a mud hole frequented by Javan rhinos. Measuring about 20 square meters, the mud wallow is a resting place for these rare mammals in Ujung Kulon National Park.

More on source: JakartaGlobe, May 24, 2009.

RGTS: Mewarnai @ At-Taufiq Bogor

Karya Aisyah Kelas 1A SDIT At-Taufiq Bogor, Juara 3 Mewarnai "Rhino Goes to School" 19 April 2009.

Badak Yang Hampir Punah

Badak Yang Hampir Punah

Disini aku membayangkan…
Disini aku menanyakan…
Mengapa…
Mengapa manusia tega kepada hewan
Mengapa…
Manusia jahat kepada hewan
Terjawab satu kata
Badakku pubah

Tapi aku ingin melestarikannya
Merawatnya hingga tidak punah lagi
Ya Allah lindungilah hewanku
Selamatkan dia

Aku ingin melihatnya bahagia
Aku ingin melihatnya gembira
Semoga manusia akan sadar

*/ Karya: Caca Kelas 3D SDIT At-Taufiq Bogor
*/ Juara-1 Lomba Puisi pada acara Rhino Goes to School (Family Day di SDIT At-Taufiq Bogor dalam rangka ikut memperingati Hari Bumi tahun 2009)

Baby eastern black rhinoceros at England’s Chester Zoo

Black Rhinoceros

England’s Chester Zoo is home to more than 7,000 animals, and the youngest of those is this 4-day-old female eastern black rhinoceros.  (She’s so young that she doesn’t even have a name yet.)

Black rhinoceroses — of which there are four subspecies, including the eastern black rhino — are listed as critically endangered.  It’s estimated that slightly more than 4,000 remain, although the species has rebounded slightly since its lowest point in the early 1990s.

As recently as 1970, there were an estimated 65,000 black rhinos in Africa.  By 1992, only 2,300 remained — a 96% drop, due largely to poaching, according to the International Rhino Foundation.

With such a severe population crisis, any new black rhino birth is cause for celebration!  More photos of the Chester Zoo’s latest addition after the jump.

Source: Los Angeles Times, May 18, 2009.

RGTS: Mewarnai @ At-Taufiq Bogor

Karya Hayfa Fashah Kelas 2D SDIT At-Taufiq Bogor, Juara 3 Mewarnai "Rhino Goes to School" 19 April 2009.

RGTS: Mewarnai @ At-Taufiq Bogor

Karya Dinda Kelas 1B SDIT At-Taufiq Bogor, Juara Harapan 1 Mewarnai "Rhino Goes to School" 19 April 2009.

RGTS: Mewarnai @ At-Taufiq Bogor

Karya Hamis Kelas 1B SDIT At-Taufiq Bogor, Juara Harapan 2 Mewarnai "Rhino Goes to School" 19 April 2009.

Sirnanya Badakku

Sirnanya Badakku

Kutatap langit pagi bersahaja…
Kudengar alunan kicau burung mempesona…
Indah permai laksana syurga…
Membuat diriku terpana…

Namun semua itu t’lah sirna
Jarang kudengar lenguhan satwa nan bersahaja…
Di tanah bumiku pertiwi Indonesia…
Yang membuat hatiku kian gundah…

Badak tercinta…
Kini kau telah langka…
Tlah sirna dari mata dunia…
Karena ulah manusia semata…

*/ Karya: Shalma Astari Darmawan Kelas 6A SDIT At-Taufiq Bogor
*/ Juara-2 Lomba Puisi pada acara Rhino Goes to School (Family Day di SDIT At-Taufiq Bogor dalam rangka ikut memperingati Hari Bumi tahun 2009)