Indonesian rhino facing extinction

Indonesian rhino facing extinction

BOGOR, West Java: The Indonesian black rhino was on the brink
of extinction, with numbers throughout the country now below 300,
Rhino Partnership Foundation (YMR) secretary Effendy A Sumardja
warned Tuesday.

The forestry ministry's director general for forest and nature
conservation, Koes Sapardjadi, estimated there were only 200
Sumatran rhinos (Dicerorhinus Sumatrensis) and no more than 60
Javanese rhinos left alive.

He called on all people to help save the rhinos from
vanishing.

Effendy attributed the decline to the rhino's dwindling
natural habitat and rampant illegal poaching.

"The slow breeding of rhinos has also contributed to the drop
in population," he said. -- Antara