U.S. wildlife group says Sumatran rhinos endangered<\/p>\n
WASHINGTON (UPI): An environmental protection group said last
\nmonth the Asian demand for rhino horn has made Sumatran rhinos
\nthe most endangered among the species, but another conservation
\ngroup called for more research.<\/p>\n
The World Wide Fund For Nature said the market for powdered
\nrhino horn, which is considered a treatment for everything from
\nnosebleeds to impotence in Korea, China and Taiwan, has decimated
\nthe Javan rhino population and will soon do the same to the
\nSumatran species.<\/p>\n
Fund spokeswoman Dana West said Sumatran rhinos \"are easier to
\nget since there are less of the Javan,\" making them a favorite of
\npoachers. The group says the Sumatran population has been reduced
\nby 50 percent since 1984.<\/p>\n
However, the Wildlife Conservation Society in New York is
\nspending US$120,000 on a three-year rhino census beginning in May
\nbecause it says it is difficult to get an accurate count of the
\npopulation.<\/p>\n
John Payne, the conservation society's Asian expert, said his
\ngroup had reached agreements with Laos and Burma to search for
\nSumatran rhinos.<\/p>\n
\"Despite the large numbers of workshops, conferences and
\ntreaties, there are no reliable numbers for Asian rhinos,\" he
\nsaid. \"Most surveys have relied on indirect evidence such as
\ntracks and scat (manure).\"<\/p>\n
Another reason Asian rhinos are climbing to the top of the
\nendangered list is \"Asian species are called fire horns, African
\nspecies are called water horns,\" said Dorene Bolze, policy
\nanalyst for the Wildlife Conservation Society.<\/p>\n
\"The Sumatran rhino has the smallest horns, but it's
\nconsidered much more potent.\"<\/p>\n
Last September, the Interior Department, armed with an
\ninternational treaty, threatened China and Taiwan with sanctions
\nunless they made definite moves to curb their black markets for
\nrhino horn.<\/p>\n
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature, a
\ngroup based in Switzerland, says there are 100 Javan and 500
\nSumatran rhinos, making them the smallest species groups.<\/p>\n
\"Although the numbers of the Javan rhino are lower, the
\nSumatran rhino with its low numbers and high rate of decline
\nmakes it more endangered,\" the union's rhino expert, Thomas
\nFoose, said in a statement.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/us-wildlife-group-says-sumatran-rhinos-endangered-1447899208",
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