Javan Rhino Population in Ujung Kulon National Park Increases
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13 December 2019 13:59 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - As many as four Javan rhinoceros were born at Ujung Kulon National Park (TNUK), Banten, according to the park management head Anggodo. He said the birth was discovered through the monitoring from the video trap.
“Throughout 2019, per September, 4 Javan rhinos have been born; consisting of two females, one male, and the other one remains unidentified,” Anggodo told Tempo on Friday, December 13.
The small one-horned rhino is classified in the Rhinocerotidae family, and one kind of the five remaining species of rhinos. It is on the same genus, Rhinoceros sondaicus, of Indian rhinos that have a leathery mosaic that resembles armor. This endangered species has a length of 3.1 to 3.2 meters and a height of 1.4 to 1.7 meters.
"As of September 2019, the number of Javan Rhinos amounts to 72; 38 males, 33 females, and 1 that has not been identified. Fifty-seven of them are on the adolescent to adult ages, while 15 others are of child age," Anggodo added.
Javan rhino is one of the rarest large mammals in the world and is categorized as a protected animal by Indonesian law. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) declared its status as critically endangered (CR), which means the population is on the verge of extinction.
The number of Javan rhinos in 2019 is the highest since 1967, 1980, 1983, and 2007, which totaled 67 animals. "This means the habitat is still good which is proven by the increasing birth of Javan rhinos in Ujung Kulon National Park since 2012," Anggodo said.
MOH KHORY ALFARIZI
