VietNamNet Bridge – The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the International Rhino Foundation (IRF) have announced that one-horn rhino is extinct in Vietnam.

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“The last Java rhino in Vietnam was dead,” said Tran Minh Hien, WWF Vietnam director.

“It is painful when efforts of preservation could not protect Java rhinos in Vietnam. We have lost a part of natural heritage forever, which is a symbol for biodiversity in Vietnam,” Hien added.

Genetic analysis of 22 samples of rhino feces, collected by experts of WWF and Cat Tien National Park in 2009-2010, shows that all samples belonged to the dead rhino found in Cat Tien last April.

WWF said that the rhino was possibly killed by hunters because the dead rhino had a bullet on its leg.

Java rhino was considered as extinct in Asia main lain until a Java rhino was hunted in 1988 in Cat Tien.

“The tragedy of Java rhino in Vietnam is a sad evidence for the extinct crisis,” said Nick Cox from WWF Mekong.

Cox said that the most important factor to protect rhinos from extinction is protecting its natural living environment and preventing illegal hunting and trafficking activities, but Vietnam currently fails to do it.

“If the situation is not improved, other species in Vietnam will be extinct. Nature reserves in Vietnam need more forest rangers who must be better trained and supervised,” he added.

Tran Van Thanh, director of Cat Tien National Park, said that there are only several forest rangers for the park, while around 100,000 people live around the park involving in illegal hunting. On average, a local resident can earn VND150,000 ($7) a day from hunting.

“We don’t dodge our responsibility for the death of the Java rhino but we had tried our best to protect it,” Thanh said.
 
Christy Williams, coordinator of WWF’s Asian Elephant and Rhino Program, said that it is impossible to re-import Java rhino into Vietnam so “We will have no chance to see Java rhinos in the S-shaped land.”

There is only one small community of Java rhinos at a small national park in Indonesia, with less than 50 heads.

In 2004, a survey by Queen University in Canada revealed that there were at least two Java rhinos in Cat Tien National Park. Experts said that in nature, Java rhinos can live for 40-45 years. They do not have rivals in nature, except for man.

PV