![]() We saw some positive signs, such as videos of calves and juvenile rhinos, but the population does not appear to be growing. Most importantly, we were able to precisely estimate the population of Javan rhinos at 62 animals. Javan rhino camera-trap photo from Ujung Kulon National Park, West Java, Indonesia. We outline our developments and findings in a new research paper, published in the journal Conservation Letters. We fit these data using statistical models to estimate rhino movement, population size and spatial distribution. Once we could recognize individual rhinos, we could figure out how often we saw each rhino and where. This led to a multi-step identification process that uses morphological features, such as sex, horn shape and position, skin wrinkles around the eyes, neck skin folds and scars. ![]() We did this by having three independent teams identify rhinos and compare results. First, however, we had to ensure that we could reliably identify individuals from the videos. My role was to work with these expert biologists to develop robust statistical methods using these video data to provide estimates of population size and distribution. While biologists are rarely lucky enough to see one of the rhinos, their hard work keeping the cameras operating over the course of a year led to obtaining 36,104 video clips, of which 1,660 were of rhino. Each camera was set to record a high-quality video clip of any animal that walked past. Expert field biologists trekked over intense rainforest terrain to install cameras at 178 locations. Over the past four years, I have worked as an external scientific advisor with researchers and biologists from World Wildlife Fund Indonesia and the United States, UKNP biologists, Global Wildlife Conservation and the Indonesian nongovernment agency YABI to help create a robust strategy for monitoring Javan rhinos.īuilding on past efforts, my colleagues developed a systematic approach to deploy camera traps throughout the rhino habitat of UKNP. Video of a Javan rhino from a camera trap in Ujung Kulon National Park, West Java, Indonesia. Nonetheless, scientists and the Indonesian government are forming a plan to rescue this imperiled species. Often this critical information is poorly known, which makes it challenging for scientists to track the population and evaluate whether their actions are having positive effects. It also is very hard to count small populations and characterize their distribution accurately. And if even a few animals are lost to poaching, disease or other factors, the loss represents a relatively large proportion of the population. Small populations grow slowly even in the best of circumstances. Recovering any wild animal population with so few individuals remaining is very difficult. Today Javan rhinos are listed as critically endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. The last known Javan rhino in mainland Asia was poached in 2009. Now landscape changes, habitat loss and hunting have reduced their numbers to a precarious few. Many species have small natural ranges, but Javan rhinos once inhabited much of Southeast Asia. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2020: e.T19495A18493900. Downloaded on 24 January 2021.The Javan rhino ( Rhinoceros sondaicus) is found only at the very western tip of the Indonesian island of Java, in the rainforest habitats of Ujung Kulon National Park (UKNP). Therefore this species is listed as Critically Endangered. Javan Rhinoceros Rhinoceros sondaicus Javanese Rhinoceros sondaicusīased on camera trap data, an estimated 68 Javan Rhinos live in Ujung Kulon National Park on the western tip of Java, but only the 33% are inferred to be reproductive individuals. As of December 2018, 150 ha of Arenga have been removed from the area. An Arenga palm removal/management effort was initiated in 2010 in the Gunung Honje portion of the park as part of the Javan Rhino Study and Conservation Area. Talukdar 2009 in litt.), precluding the growth of suitable rhino food. Currently, an estimated 60% (18,000 ha) of the peninsular section of the Park is covered with Arenga palm (B. Where Arenga palm dominates, little else grows. ![]() Arenga dominates the forest canopy in many locations, and inhibits the growth of rhino food plants.Īrenga palm is problematic for a number of reasons. Available rhino habitat is limited by two major factors: (1) the threat of human encroachment and (2) the predominance of a palm species ( Arenga obtusifolia), known locally as langkap, which is rampant in Ujung Kulon.
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