INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Image copyrightWWFImage caption
The entire species of Javan rhinos could be wiped out by a tsunami
They
once roamed the jungles of South East Asia and India, but today only 67 of the critically endangered Javan rhinos still exist
They all live in one single place - the Ujung Kulon National Park - just miles away from the shadow of the volatile Anak Krakatau
volcano.When Anak Krakatau triggered a tsunami across the Sunda Strait, its effects were felt at the Ujung Kulon National Park (TNUK) in
Banten.Two park officials died, and numerous TNUK buildings and ships were also destroyed
But the 67 critically endangered Javan rhinos left in the park - the only ones left in the world - were left unscathed, for now
The Javan rhinos typically live along the park's south coast
This time, the tsunami hit the north coast
But the rhinos might not be so lucky if there is a next time, and now officials are rushing to move the Javan Rhinos out of the park -
before disaster strikes again
An entire species in dangerThe Javan rhinos are the most threatened of the five rhino species in the world - and have been listed as
Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List
They were once found in northeast India and across South East Asia but their population was quickly depleted as a result of poaching,
habitat destruction through agriculture, among other factors.Image copyrightWwfImage caption
Only 67 Javan rhinos exist
today
According to the WWF, Vietnam's last Javan rhino was poached in 2010."As there are no Javan rhinos in captivity
anywhere in the world, should we lose this population, we've essentially lost the entire species," said Nicola Loweth, a WWF officer in a
statement about the rhinos in Indonesia
The search for the perfect locationAnak Krakatau began showing increased signs of volcanic activity since June earlier this year.But it was
last Saturday that volcanic activity from Anak Krakatau is believed to have set off undersea landslides, triggering a tsunami that has
killed at least 430 people so far.Authorities say Anak Krakatau is still active, and is in fact becoming increasingly active with what are
known as Strombolian eruptions - short lived, explosive blasts of lava - being emitted."We understand that we cannot let the Javan rhinos
live only in Ujung Julon," Widodo Sukohadi Ramono, chairman of the Rhino Foundation of Indonesian (YABI) told TheIndianSubcontinent News
Mr Ramono added that there were plans in place to move a smaller group of rhinos to a secondary location, though there was "a lot [to be
taken into] consideration".The rhinos which would be moved would have to be in good health, have close ties to each other and able to
But moving the rhinos to another location is easier said than done.The new location would have to have more than 200 species of plants -
food sources for the Javan rhino
It would also need to have a plentiful water supply, an ideal soil type, land condition and a place with a year-round wet climate
"It's difficult to find the perfect location we need at least five thousand hectares in one location
It has to provide [the rhinos] with [suitable] food, water
We need to know what diseases exist there, if there are predators, how supportive the local community is," the head of TNUK, Mamat Rahmat
told TheIndianSubcontinent News Indonesia.Image copyrightGetty ImagesImage caption
The Javan rhinos need to live in a
year-long wet climate
Government officials have been looking for years to find a suitable second location for the Javan
They were supposed to have found one in 2017 - but this never materialised."Sometimes the plan [does not] work out," said Mr Mamat
"There are many obstacles, technical factors, internal constraints and external factors [to take into consideration]."Mr Mamat adds that the
government has surveyed 10 possible locations, of which one has arisen as a suitable candidate - the Cikepuh Wildlife Reserve in West
Java.However, this was not without its problems."There is an agreement [there] with the army about the use of land for combat drills
We need to do further studies on how the [sound] of guns and cannons could [impact] the rhinos."Human activity also exists around the
wildlife reserve - which could put the rhinos at risk.Image copyrightGetty ImagesImage caption
A rhino footprint at the
Ujung Kulon National Parl
The plan to move to the Cikepuh Wildlife Reserve appears to have stalled, but after the recent
tsunami officials are once again moving with urgency."We [will] take more steps quickly in preparing a second habitat [for the rhinos],"
said Mr Mamat."If one day Ujung Kulon is hit by an eruption, then [we would hope] there would still be reserves [of Javan rhinos] in a new
place."Reporting by TheIndianSubcontinent Indonesia's Rivan Dwiastono
You can read the story on TheIndianSubcontinent News Indonesia
