Scientists celebrate offspring of world's rarest rhino species

Dec 23, 2008, 7:08 GMT

Jakarta - Conservationists have found signs of four Javan rhinos born in recent weeks on Indonesia's Java island, a development that would be a critical boost to the population of one of the world's rarest species, activists said Tuesday.

'The discovery of the rhino babies indicates that reproduction continues and regeneration can be guaranteed,' Agus Primabudi, head of the Ujung Kulon National Park, told state-run Antara news agency.

He said the offspring varied in size, with the smallest front and back foot prints measured at 17-18 centimetres in diameter, and the largest at 23-24 centimetres.

He explained that the data on footprints was collected by a team of biologists, including park rangers and the World Wide Fund for Nature staff, during a routine census to determine the estimated number of rhinoceros population.

Primabudi said because of the distance between the areas where the discoveries were made and the differences in the size of the footprints, the team concluded there is evidence of four different calves.

Scientists said that Javan rhinos are found only in two locations in the world, in the Ujung Kulon National Park in western Java, and in one area in Vietnam.

Primabudi estimated up to 50 rhinoceros were recorded in Ujung Kulon. Scientists believe the animal is the rarest large mammal species in the world and is critically endangered. Poaching and pressure from a growing human population pose great risks to the protected areas where they live.

In an attempt to protect the species from extinction that could be caused by disease or natural disasters, the WWF said early this year that efforts were being made to create additional Javan rhino breeding groups by transferring some from Ujung Kulon to another suitable site.