Sumatran rhinoceros  (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis)

The Sumatran rhinoceros was driven from large regions of its former range as a result of the habitat destruction and hunting (2). Today, the small, isolated populations that remain continue to be primarily threatened by poaching (1), as sadly, the Sumatran rhinoceros is one of the unfortunate animals that is highly valued in traditional Asian medicines. Many parts of its body are believed to have aphrodisiac and medicinal properties, but its distinctive horn is most in demand, and ends up either a powdered ingredient in medicines, or artistically carved (2) (5). The populations of the Sumatran rhinoceros are now so small that breeding has become a rare activity and successful births are infrequent; as a result, inbreeding depression has become a real and serious risk (1). The small numbers mean that even the death of a single animal brings the species a step closer to extinction (5).

Despite being listed on Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) since 1975 (which prohibits trade in the species) (3), and being legally protected in all the countries in which it occurs (1), the Sumatran rhinoceros is still in a precarious situation. International efforts to prevent poaching of this rare species are underway (1), and their success is imperative if this species is to survive.

Efforts to conserve the Sumatran rhinoceros in the past have not proved successful. An expensive programme undertaken in the 1980s and 1990s to capture wild rhinos and relocate them to breeding centres across the world, was deemed by many to be disastrous (5). Many of the captured rhinos died (5), and only more recently (in 2001 and 2004) have successful births arisen from these captive breeding programmes (1) (5). Today, many scientists believe that capturing more rhinos for the breeding programme would just be sending this species to its death (5), and therefore anti-poaching efforts are currently the primary conservation focus (1).